Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches
by Nifoi
Summary: Set in modern time: Sakura Haruno is your typical hardcore tomboy whose life has been turned upside down. Not to mention tons of boys are crazy for her. "What the F*CK are you B*STARDS doing?" AkaSaku/ MultiSaku
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: 4, 308**

**Summary: **From a girly girl known for her bossiness to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents' astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Did this transformation attract not only the Akatsuki, but her crush AND nearly all the boys in school? Yes, it did. But does a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthral.

From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku

**A/N: **Hm…my new story, the fifth one. I've had an urge to post to story for nearly 5 months…and _WA la! _The story of all the boys in school attracted to one, troublesome tomboy. Pretty nice story, if you ask me. I'm proud of it.

Hey, wanna know the secret behind the title?

_Skirts & Shoes_= A girly girl.

_Pants & Punches= _A hardcore tomboy.

Enjoy!

_._

_.._

…

_To the beat of my,_

_To the beat of my,_

_To the beat of my heart._

…

..

_._

"Hinata, keep alert," Ino grabbed her friend's shoulder and pointed toward the school entrance, "Sakura's coming…be careful."

The raven-haired girl nodded. Her grey eyes turned towward the entrance and a crowd of boys with lovestruck faces gathering at the gate. She glanced over to her wristwatch and wasn't surprised that the popular girl was late.

The blonde, Ino, sighed as she heard squeals and cheers from the boys who were gathering up at the gate to meet their princess. Her icy blue eyes detected that a slick, expensive-looking black car had just pulled up in front of the gate, making the boys squeal in excitement.

'_Tch, Sakura Haruno,' _Ino thought, rather furiously, _'Why do the boys think she's some kind of "princess"? She may be a pretty girl with long hair and short skirts, but her attidute is the worst thing a girl can deal with…'_

Ino sighed again.

Hinata glanced over to her friend, "Ino, I know you're thinking about Sakura-chan's attidute. Every girl agrees her bossiness is too much. Even we don't know why so many boys are attracted to her."

Ino smirked, "Yeah, but there's rumors around school saying that Sakura's actually hiding her true self just to win the heart of Sasuke Uchiha."

Being aware that the pink-haired girl was going to enter the school with tons of boys walking beside her, Hinata replied, "That's interesting, Ino. Do you think it's true?"

"Duh…I think so." The blonde replied nervously, but then she realized Princess Haruno has just walked in the school. As usual, her uniform was an outrage to the females; the shortest skirt, the knee-length translucent socks, that tight shirt, pink small bag slung over the shoulder and black headband.

Her long hair swayed side to side as she closed her eyes and…_strutted_ through the hallway. Her chin was held up high and her eyes were closed, showing a sign of protest as the boys shot her invitations of dates.

When the pink-haired beauty was out of sight, Ino resumed with talking to Hinata. "Hinata, do you think the reason of why she had turned from a normal girl to an outrageos girly bitch is because of Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Could be," Hinata shrugged, pushing her books into her locker, "Sasuke-san is a boy who has more than 10 fanclubs already, and if Sakura-chan has heard the gossip that Sasuke-san likes girls with long hair, it could be true."

Locking the locker, the Byakugan heir sighed as she walked toward their class, "Sakura-chan sits right behind us and we never bothered to ask…"

Folding her arms, Ino looked away irritatingly as Sakura's place was crowded with juniors. "Yeah, because whenever we tried, that boyfriend stealer never bothers to listen." The two friends stood by the door of their class, waiting for the crowd of fans to clear away. Ino let a smirk play across her face, "Luckily, she didn't manage to attract my Sasuke-kun," Hinata laughed slightly as Ino cotinued, "All she managed to pull were all the juniors. All of the guys in our grade and the seniors didn't even talk to her. It seems like they were trying to avoid her."

"I think…" Hinata spoke up, "I think you're right…and I guess her plan didn't work because she's attracted the wrong people."

The bell rang and the boys scattered out of Sakura's class to their respective classes. The two friends made their way to sit at the two empty seats in front of Sakura, which were theirs. As they approached, as usual the Princess would not speak to them. Ino, of all people, was greatly disturbed by this.

_._

_.._

…

_Everybody's got a dark side_

_Will you love me?_

_Can you love mine?_

…

_.._

_._

Sakura was so relieved to hear the school bell ring, indicating school was over. Grabbing her pink bag, she rushed out of the school as quickly as she could, wanting to avoid her fanclubs that consisted of juniors she definitely _did not _want to attract.

She followed the flow of the crowd of students as they walked out the school door, toward the vast gardens in front of the school which were lined with cherry blossom trees, or straight out the school gate to get to their transport. Sakura walked straight out of the school and spotted her black car parked across the road.

Looking right and left, thr road was clear and Sakura ran across the road with caution. Opening the door quickly, she jumped inside and shut the door before her fans could see her. She sighed in relief mentally and put her pink bag aside, and then she smiled at her father who was smiling at her from the mirror.

"Hello, Sakura," her father greeted, his pale-green eyes shining, "How was school today?"

"It was fine, dad," Sakura replied, a genuine and calm smile on her face, "I learned a lot today. Anything exciting happening at work?" She shot her father a grin.

The man tightened up his checkered tie, "Yes, dear, there_ is _something exciting," He looked over his shoulder to smile at his pink-haired daughter, "I will be promoted today, and someone important is coming over to my company's office, so there'll be a meeting. I might be home later than usual."

The car's engine started and wheels started to spin as they drove off, away from Konoha High School. Sakura replied to her father, "Okay, dad. Drive carefully on your way home."

Her pale emerald eyes glanced over her shoulder as she saw her school. Students were chatting by the bus stop, most were nattering on the benches in the big, peaceful garden at the school, and girls were squealing at the sight of the senior gang, Akatsuki.

Sakura's eyes saddened and were glad her father didn't notice. The main reason Sakura grew long hair, wore short skirts and tried to be girly was to win her crushes heart, or at least get her a boyfriend she was _interested _in. Sakura clenched her hands till her knuckles became white, as she thought of the results. All she managed to attract was…_disgusting young _teenagers who probably know nothing about love, which are the juniors.

A few minutes later, Sakura kissed her father on the cheek and waved goodbye as the car drove off. "Bye, dad! Good luck at work!"

The pink-haired beauty turned around and saw her home. It was an ordinary house—a bungalow painted white and brown with a lawn big enough for a few cats to run around. Pushing the gate open, Sakura ambled pass the garden and went to the shoe rack to look for the keys her mother has left before she went to work. Finding a set of golden keys, the jade-eyed female opened her home door.

Shutting the door and locking it for her safety, Sakura grunted to herself. She climbed up the stairs in a grumpy mood, quickly changed her clothes and went back downstairs to make some lunch for herself. She was in a ghastly mood today, which was usual everytime she came back from school. One thing _always _frustrates her, it _always_ upsets her, and she can't see another way out of it. She prepared a sandwich and plopped onto the sofa in her living room.

Nibbling on her sandwich, she folded her arms as all she heard was the sound of the ceiling fan. "This whole 'plan' is pointless," Sakura said to herself, loudly and clearly as she was very sure she was alone in the house like every other day. "Why isn't it working? I've gone through so much trouble just to turn into…into…this—" The girl tugged on her hair, "This school _bitch _that doesn't have friends."

As much as she wanted to stop, a part of Sakura's body told her that she can't. She can't _change back to her real self _unless if her goal is accomplished. She slapped her palm onto her forehead, disagreeing with her heart that told her to keep trying to win Sasuke's heart. Sakura shook her head angrily; arguing back by saying her crush isn't interested with people who were _girly. _The pinkette shuddered at the last word.

Sakura sighed as she finished the last of her sandwich. She admitted; she _hated _having long hair. It was a nuisance to her and it was hard to take care of. She wanted to crop it short like a boy's hair; Sakura thought it would be _so _much more comfartable. She _hated _wearing short skirts and tight, slinky shirts. It was_ embarassing _and it was quite hard to move around without paying attention to her skirt so it won't fly up too high to see her underwear. She _hates _the annoying juniors she's attracted. She only wanted to attract _one _boy, or maybe a few senior students, but Sakura wasn't interested in men _younger _than her. She thinks the 'obsession' the fans have with her is damn _annoying._ Sometimes, Sakura pities Sasuke.

Sakura remembered that she was scrolling through the rulebook of the school she had bought from the school bookshop around 3 months ago, and she didn't see anything that said girls weren't allowed to wear boy uniforms. After reading that, Sakura resisted the urge to go and spend her money on the male uniforms. She wanted to wear them to school as she felt comfy wearing clothes that covered her body. Sakura just _hated _wearing skirts.

The pink-haired, emerald eyed girl fell in love with Sasuke Uchiha at the first sight of him, and she noticed that too many girls were all out for him already. Although Sakura realized the other boys in her class and the seniors were _damn _hot as well, Sakura wanted the Uchiha male. She transformed from the short-haired, amiable girl to a so-called _sexy, girly bitch _since she was 13. Now, she's 15 and _still _hasn't managed to win his heart.

She did manage to capture some of his attention, though. Over the crowd of girls, Sakura stubbornly stood a distance away as boys crowded her, but she saw Sasuke on his toes, his eyes, looking over the crowd of girls swarming him, staring at her. The pink-haired girl pretended not to notice and ignored his glance.

Sakura felt happy to know her crush was staring at her, but after that he didn't pay attention to her at all. She was very frustrated when she realized this. She regretted ever changing her appearance, reputation and hiding her true personality. The _stupid _gossip which the girls in her school have been rumoring about had finally made her regret following it. Th gossip said that boys like girls who are girly and feminine. Oh, how _stupid _she was back then. Now, with her reputation as a girly girl, hundreds of girls hating her and hundreds of juniors crazy for her—Can Sakura change into the boyish-girl she really is?

Sakura sighed sadly and slapped her palm on her large forehead. She was in a _terrible _mood, worst than terrible. She was such in a ghastly mood, and she realized her heart was telling her something.

**Sakura, I know why we feel this way. **The pink-haired girl was slightly surprised to hear her alter ego talk to her. In her mind, Inner Sakura's face showed that she was worried. **I get a feeling something bad is going to happen soon. Something **_**very **_**bad…**

'_When? And what is going to happen?' _Sakura asked, her eyes showed worry already. She knew that sometimes if something bad was going to happen in someone's life, that person would be in a gloomy, sullen mood before it happened. The pink-haired girl waited for Inner Sakura to answer.

Sakura's mind showed that her alter-ego shook her head. **I don't know when it will happen, I don't know **_**what **_**will happen either. **The spirit frowned, **But…it'll happen soon.**

'_Do you think it would be bad?' _Sakura questioned, her eyebrows knitted, '_Do you think it's serious?'_

Inner Sakura seemed unsure as she shook her head again. **I don't know…but with our mood today, I think it **_**is **_**something serious.**

Sakura laid down on her yellow sofa and stared at the ceiling. Her arm was over her forehead, and her eyes stared at the ceiling with worry and concern.

A few minutes, Sakura found herself blinking back hot tears. As much as she fought back, the tears won and they streamed out of her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying—but she was _so _sad…_so upset…so disappointed. _

She curled up in a ball and sobbed. She had never felt so heartbroken before. And she was _so _sure it wasn't crying because of herself. It was because of _something else._

…

_.._

_._

_What doesn't kill you_

_Makes you stronger_

_Stand a little taller_

_Doesn't mean I'm lonely _

_When I'm alone_

_._

_.._

…

All at once, Sakura knew why she cried uncontrollably yesterday.

She heard screams and shouts, gasps and everything around her was blurry. She was only half-concious when she realized she was on the road. She was facing her right, and she can feel her cheek against the rough road. Cars were jammed and people were all around her. Her body was down on the road, her back facing the sky. The first thing that came clear in her vision was her right hand. It hurt and it had red stains on it. A few feet away were shattered glass. The next thing was a wrecked, black car crashed into a tree. Nearby were two people lying on the road, puddles of red ink around them.

Sakura started put the whole puzzle together and her eyes widened painfully as hurtful pangs of reality came crashing back to her. A loud bang interrupted her happiness when she found out her mother found time to spend with her only daughter. Then Sakura heard screams, glass breaking and she felt pain. The red stains and red puddles around her weren't ink—they were _blood._

Whose blood?

Her broken jade eyes hurt as tears struggled to get out. She reached her palm out weakly in the direction of the two bodies as she started to cry. She wanted to move but it hurt—_too much._

The two bodies nearby the wrecked car—_ her car—_were _her _parents. The pink-haired girl, whose hair went scarlet with dried blood, knew that within a few minutes, she would most likely pass out and die. She didn't mind if _she _died, she just wanted _her parents _to be alive. She had no siblings, and neither father nor mother had a sibling, so Sakura had no uncles, aunties or cousins. She was _alone _if her parents left her.

This car accident had thrown the emerald eyed girl out of the car window, sending her crashing head first onto the road before she rolled to a stop. The rough road has caused her arms to be injured and they bled. Her parents were thrown out as well—but they were much closer to the car than her.

Voices shouted for help and the sound of sirens—ambulance sirens, police cars—the heck with it, it hurt her ears and mind as they boomed.

Then, she heard the sound of a speeding car and a terrifying screech as it tried to break. The out-of-control car came closer without getting any slower, and its wheels were heading straight for the limp, unconcious body of the pink-haired Princess. In a panick, Sakura struggled to get up and crawl out of the car's way, but she screamed like breaking glass as she tried to move. The last thing she saw was the sight of the car only 4 meters away from her before she felt the most unbearable pain as she found herself being lifted away from the road.

Her eyes hurt more as through the blurriness, the blue car ran over her parents' bodies before crashing and turning over. The sight of the bloodiness caused Sakura to scream louder and painfully.

Screaming like hell, she reached out her hand toward the bodies as she was being carried toward the pavement, and she didn't _care _how much it physically hurt. What she cared about now was how _mentally _hurt she was going to feel like.

She was set down, her cheeks wet with tears and her eyes red and burning. It shot a sharp pain through her middle body and she screamed in pain. Whoever carried her was aware of her pain and set her down much more gently against the wall. Two hands held her head and made her look up. Her eyes were downcast, even though her face was facing the boy who had carried her.

"Girl! Girl! Look at me! Stay with me, okay?"

The unfamiliar voice made her eyes look up. Her vision was blurry with tears and her eyelashes were stained with blood, making it hard for her to identify the male who had saved her from death. Although the situation, Sakura can see a smile of relief on his face. "Thank goodness, you're alive, girl. The ambulance will come shortly, so try to stay awake and don't lose yourself."

The pink-haired girl moaned in pain as her right palm pressed against the side of her stomach, which had a deep gash in it. She can sense her saviour was worried. "Girl, stay with me. The medics are almost here. Tell me, what's your name?"

It hurt but she didn't hesitate to answer. "S-Sakura."

A smile formed on her hero's face. "That's a beautiful name, Sakura. Do you have a secret nobody knows about you?"

Sakura knew that he was just trying to keep her awake, not trying to invade her privacy. It took awhile but Sakura managed to mumble an answer. "I…This isn't…the real…me…"

"Why are you hiding your true self, Sakura?" His voice was calm and deep, making Sakura relaxed and less tense. "Sakura, you must stay true to yourself. You musn't be afraid to show everyone who you really are…do you feel better?"

Her lifeless pale-green eyes tried hard to take in some features of her saviour but no avail. Slowly, Sakura nod her head and let a smile—a heartbroken smile—play across her face. "Yes…thank you. May I…know your name?"

Before the boy that seemed slightly older than her can answer, medics crowded her. They lifted her into the ambulance and Sakura can see the figure of her hero standing outside, his hands in his pockets, but his face and features were still unrecognizable to Sakura. The ambulance door closed, and her saviour waving goodbye and smiling.

"So long, Sakura. Until we meet again."

She was in pain.

Sadness.

Frustration.

Melancholy.

She eventually fainted.

…

_.._

_._

_What doesn't kill you_

_Makes a fighter_

_Footsteps even lighter_

_Doesn't mean I'm over_

_Cause you're gone_

_._

_.._

…

When Sakura regained conciousness, she was in a hospital room. Most parts of her body were bandaged, and she can see doctors, nurses and people walking and rushing around outside her room. It was so peaceful, so quiet.

It was then the pinkette realized she wasn't the only one in the room. Sitting quietly by one of the chairs was a girl from her school. She was a popular girl in her school, two years older than Sakura. She was also the only female member in the famous gang in Konoha High School, which is the Akatsuki. Sakura wondered why Konan was visiting her.

"Um, are you…Konan-san?" Sakura spoke, and was surprise that her pain was gone. The blue-haired girl put down her book and looked at the girl on the bed. She gave a serene smile that made her look twice as beautiful as an angel. Envy raged within Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, am I right?" Konan replied, pushing herself off the chair and walking over to the bed, "Yes, I am Konan from your school. I saw what happened at school yesterday. I thought I could come by and check on you. How do you feel?"

Sakura didn't know what to say. "Um…I feel weird. Before I woke up my body felt like it was on fire, but now I feel better." Her jade eyes looked at the senior, whose face showed worry and relief. "Thank you for visiting me, Konan-san."

The blue-haired girl smiled, "My pleasure, Sakura-chan. I pity you after all the trauma you've been through, including your loss."

Sakura stiffened at Konan's last sentence. "W-what…" she stammered, "What do you mean by, 'loss'?"

Konan's face fell and her eyes went downcast, saddened. It was a few minutes of silence before Konan can heavily answer. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan…I thought you already know…"

A part of Sakura's body wanted to avoid the fact in thinking that Konan was saying that Sakura's parents were…_gone. _Sakura didn't want that to be true. She gave out a nervous giggle, "Um, you're joking, right, Konan-san?"

Her eyes saddened even more, and she hesitatingly shook her head.

Her eyes widened, and Sakura's knuckles became white from clentching too long. The pink-haired girl was trembling, and Konan realized this as tears streamed down her eyes and Sakura strated to sob. Immediately, Konan tried to comfort her.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry for your loss," Konan stroked Sakura's soft, long hair, "Your mother and father suffered serious injuries to the head and chest. They were thrown out of the car for 7 meters."

Frowning sadly as Sakura's sad face started to sob, Konan squeezed her right hand, "But you were thrown 12 meters away and you're alive. Doctors say you are lucky to be alive," Sakura stopped sobbing, but tears rolled down and wet her ears, since she was lying down. "Sakura-chan, I want to be your friend. I want to mitigate your pain and sadness."

_._

_._

_._

Konan managed to calm down the pink-haired girl and distracted Sakura with some small talk, mostly about what her family was like and some facts about Sakura herself. The pink-haired girl, despite her pain and sadness for the loss of her only family, never felt so happy. It was the first time in three years a girl from her school actually became _friends _with her. Sakura likes the feeling of a friend.

"Konan-san," Sakura asked, her new-friend paying attention to what she was going to say, "Before I was nearly run over by a car, someone carried me out of harm's way. Did you see the characteristics of him?"

Konan frowned uncertainly. "Oh, him. I saw him save you, but I didn't see his face features because he had a hood over his head, covering his face and hair. But he was tall and burly, something girls would dream of. But he had a deep voice and said he hopes you'll be alright."

"Oh…" Sakura uttered depressingly, but happily as she heard the last few words of Konan's sentence, "Now that I think about it…my only family is gone…so I guess I'll have to fend for myself, then."

Konan put her palm on Sakura's wrist, making the pinkette look up. "Sakura-chan, you are welcome to live in my home if you want." Konan opened her clenched wrist and placed a pice of paper on her palm before closing it back again, "You have the address."

Smiling hopefully—but heartbroken—Sakura replied, "Thank you, Konan-san. But I would fend for myself, despite your kind offers. You know, I told my saviour a secret nobody knows, and I told him that I'm pretending to be someone I'm not."

Konan seemed enthralled and she listened carefully. "My hero told me to not be afraid to show everybody who I _really _am. And, you know what, Konan-san?" Sakura gave a grin, "I'm going to follow his advice. I'll be absent for a few days, though."

"What do you mean?" Konan asked, confused, "Are you saying that you aren't a girly bi—I mean, girly girl?"

Sakura laughed. "I know I'm a bitch, but I was so _stupid _that time, to be someone I'm not for a specific reason." She smiled calmly, "I will be my true self this time, and please don't be too shocked when I come to school later."

The doctor came in, talked to Konan and she turned to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, I have to go. My visiting time is over." The blue-haired girl smiled, "I have another five minutes," Konan placed her hand on Sakura's un-broken one and her eyes twinkled, "Sakura-chan, why not you join the Akatsuki? You know, the gang in school. You can make friends with members and maybe the members will introduce you to more friends."

Sakura was stunned at the sudden question. She didn't know what to answer, but she knew what she had to do. "I accept. Thank you, Konan-san."

Giving the pink-haired girl a cheerful smile, Konan waved goodbye, "That's great! We'll see you in a week, Sakura-chan. You get some rest." Before the door was fully closed, she said, "And I can't wait to see your 'true self'!"

With that, the door was closed and Konan left the hospital.

Sakura smiled. Konan would be a bit _too _shocked, the pink-haired girl knew that Konan can't possibly prevent her astonished face from showing. '_I'm so grateful to be alive,' _Sakura thanked God mentally, '_Hey, Inner! Get ready!'_

Her later-ego jumped, punching the air, **SHANNARO! When we're getting out of this damn hospital, the first thing I want is a haircut!**

…

_.._

_._

_When you want it the most_

_There's no easy way out_

_When you're ready to go_

_But your heart's _

_Left in doubt_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: Hi! Thankies for reading the first chapter. Guess what'll happen in the next one? Please don't favor or alert before submiting a much-needed review, first. TQ!**

Review=Love=Authors Inspiration=Faster Updates.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: **5, 411

**Summary: **From a girly girl known for her bossiness to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents'

astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Did this transformation attract not only the Akatsuki, but her crush AND nearly all the boys in school? Yes, it did. But does a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthral.

From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku

**A/N: **I was so inspired by the reviews for last chapter, but unfortunately my religion's festive season and my upcoming last exam of the year is keeping me busy. I hope you all would understand. Oh yeah, and thanks to **smiah852 **for his/her advice on getting a beta reader, but I just don't know how to get one. Anyway, enjoy!

…

_._

_._

"_Is that really you, Sakura-chan?"_

"_Um…can you call me Sakura-__kun__?"_

_._

_.._

…

Sakura smiled as her hand ran across the back of her head and along her neck. She didn't feel any hair below her ear. She smiled in self-satisfaction. _DAMN! This short hair is really neat!_

She walked pass people that were shopping in the mall. Sakura, who had gotten a week holiday from her school, had just gotten out of the hospital in perfect condition. She was given some money to support herself, and she kindly accepted. Now, she was walking out of the salon.

**This short hair is comfartable! **Inner Sakura beamed, grinning, **Our guess of short hair being comfy were true all along! I'm sure it'll be less troublesome to take care of.**

'_Yeah, you're right,' _Sakura replied with a mental smile of relief, '_But let's go shopping for some pants. We searched our wardrobe earlier today, remember?' _Both Sakura and her alter-ego shuddered, '_All we found were pink shirts, skirts and shorts. My favorite store in here sells everything I want.'_

Sakura turned to her left and entered a store that was empty, except for one shopkeeper behind the counter. The pink-haired girl ambled throughout the store and found a few trousers, jackets, hoods, and caps. She also found a few pairs of sneakers. As she was scrolling among the various choices of clothes, she just realized how flat her chest is. Surprising.

Taking her items to the cashier, she dumped them on and the shopkeeper looked at Sakura's wanted items. "Um...miss? You _do _know that these are clothes from the men's section?"

Sakura stared at her with a face that clearly said, _Obviously._

After paying, she walked to a store that sold school uniforms and bought male uniforms that fit her. This time, the cashier wasn't surprised with the items she's purchased after she's seen Sakura's appearance.

Paying for her clothes, Sakura thanked the cashier and exited the shop with the plastic bags in her hands, and made her way straight to the toilet. She entered one of the stalls and changed into her boyish clothes quickly. She kept her worn clothes back into the plastic bag and saw herself at the bathroom mirror.

Some of the women in the toilet were glancing over at her, unsure what gender she really was. Sakura was satisfied and impressed. She looked exactly like a boy, only with pink hair. **Hey, why not we go dye that hair to the color black? Pink is a bit too…**_**girly. **_Inner Sakura encouraged.

Mentally, Sakura shook her head. '_No, I won't do a thing to my hair color,' _Sakura argued reasonably, '_The pink hair resembles my beloved mother's hair, and I won't do anything to remind myself of my mother.'_

Inner Sakura shrugged and the pale-green eyed girl walked out of the toilet, shocking some of the boys nearby the public telephones as they thought they saw a _male _walk out from the _female _bathroom. With her clothes in the plastic bags being clutched by her hands, Sakura decided to walk around and look for a place to eat. After 10 minutes of strolling, she found the mall's food court.

The tomboy found a place to sit and she dumped her plastic bags there as she went to buy a few drinks and some food. The queue wasn't really really long, but the progress for the workers to serve the customers took a lot of time.

'_As much as I hate to admit it,' _Sakura thought to herself, absent-mindly shoving her hands into her pockets, '_I __am __a foul-mouthed person.' _She chuckled quietly, '_But I guess I only spit out those kind of words whenever I'm angry.'_

She got a tray of food, which was a bowl of soup and headed toward the table she had just reserved for herself by using her plastic bags. But as she neared it, she was stiffened by the sight of somebody sitting at _her _table. Her plastic bags were down on the floor right next to the chair, not like before the tomboy left it, which was supposedly on the table itself.

Sakura approached the boy who had just carelessly sat at her table. '_Maybe somebody accidentally knocked my plastic bags on the floor and this guy didn't see it,' _Sakura told herself, trying to calm herself down, '_Maybe this whole thing is accidental.'_

She arrived at supposedly her place and set the tray on the table, making the boy look at her with a raised eyebrow. Sakura tried explaining the whole situation to the stranger calmly. "Excuse me, but those plastic bags on the floor next to your chair clearly states that I took this place before you."

The boy stared at her, then looked down at the plastic bags that were near his feet, and then looked at the pink-haired girl again. "Unfortunately this place is mine now, since I'm already sitting here," he replied, much to Sakura's anger, "So you could get your bags and find some other place."

Feeling angry, Sakura refused to show her feelings in her voice as she spoke again. "No, it's _you _who has to go find another place. I found this table first and I'm not going to give in so quickly," Sakura replied stubbornly but logically, looking around to see every table available was taken, "It's packed in here."

Sakura returned her gaze at the boy. Her emerald eyes stared into bored-looking hazel ones, hoping that she would win this thing without anything _serious _happening. Sakura, secretly, had a knack for losing her anger and patience quickly, and when her parents weren't around, Sakura mastered punching by using the punching bag in her father's personal gym.

The boy with red hair replied, "Unfortunately, that's your _own _problem, little girl." Sakura was surprised to hear him call her such a nickname. She was starting to lose her patience…very quickly.

"Listen up, _jerk,_" Sakura hissed, "Don't make me throw the soup in your face, which is the _least _I can do. Test my patience a little more and you'll be receiving a bruise on your jaw."

His lips formed into a faint smirk, "Little girl, if you think your threats scare me, think again. Just because of your appearance doesn't mean that you're actually _brave _enough to injure me or whatsoever."

Sakura clenched her fist. What was up with this guy? Even though he's handsome with brown eyes and red hair as short as her own, he seemed so calm and full of himself. This was the type of people she hated most; overconfident jerks.

"_Bastard," _Sakura hissed again, her eyes narrowed angrily and she reached a hand for her hot soup, "I'll gladly pour this over your face if you won't even get up. Now, _scram."_

"Um…no?" The boy replied, looking calm and collected as he stared idly into Sakura's jade eyes. The next thing he knew he's got mushroom soup in his eyes.

"WHAT THE F—"

His hand wiped his face free of the soup as he looked up to the troublesome tomboy who had just thrown her meal at him. On her handsome, yet pretty face, was a smirk of satisfaction. He glared at the girl. "How dare you throw that at me, insolent brat!"

He was grabbed by the shirt and was shoved off, away from the chair. The red-head was surprised by the strength the little girl had. He watched as the tomboy sat down and sipped on her drink. Noticing his glare, Sakura looked up and grinned mischeviously. "What's wrong, jerk? Why not you go to the sink and clean that pretty red hair of yours? Girls can't faint if there's pieces of mushroom all over your face."

Knowing that he was beaten in the argument, Sasori frowned angrily and walked toward the sink to wash his hair. As his hair was clean as well as his eyes and face, he grabbed a handful of tissues and wiped his face and hair clean, before gussying up at the mirror. But in the mirror he saw the reflection of his temporary enemy as she sipped on her drink.

'_She's an interesting transsexual,' _he smirked to himself as he buttoned up his collar, '_Or, is she just a tomboy? Either way, she's intimidating and rough.' _Sasori glanced away as the pink-haired girl turned her eyes toward him. Pretending he wasn't watching her, Sasori shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away from the food court.

Before he left, his hazel eyes glanced over his shoulder and he took in her face features. She had silky, pastel pink hair, a pair of pale green eyes and an unfamiliar, boy-like voice when she's angry, but a familiar voice when she's talking calmly. It seems as if he's seen this girl somewhere before.

Sasori paid his attention to where he was heading. He can't really put a finger of where he had seen this girl before. Pushing the thoughts out of his head, he made his way past the crowd.

…

_.._

_._

_We were both young_

_When I first saw you_

_I close my eyes_

_And the flashback starts_

_I'm standing there_

_On a balcony in summer air_

_._

_.._

…

The boyish pink-haired girl continued sipping on her grape gas drink as she watched the red-haired boy walk out of the mall. Sakura herself was trying hard to remember where she had seen this boy before. His brown eyes seemed…so familiar.

'_Maybe I've seen him when I was younger?' _Sakura wondered, looking around to make sure the boy wasn't there, '_Yeah, maybe I've seen him when I was 9 or 10.'_

**Hey…remember when we were 8? **Inner Sakura interrupted. **Remember that ball that hit us at our face and that bastard that kicked it at us didn't even bother to say sorry?**

Sakura finched slightly when she heard her alter-ego's sentence. She remembered that part of her life clearly like it was yesterday. At the balcony of the same bungalow she lives in, her younger, less mature self was busy watching a few boys play football at the street in front of her house by the balcony of her parents' room. As usual, Sakura was alone in the house as her parents were out working.

She watched as the young strangers played football. After 10 minutes, the boy witn red hair kicked the ball up to high, and it flew over the bungalow's gate and up toward Sakura's direction. Her eyes widened in fear and she tried to avoid the ball, but she was too late and it hit her right in her face, causing her to fall backwards.

Sakura cried noisily as she heard gasps from the boys below her and she heard them pushing the house gate open and rush upstairs. Two boys—none of them was the person who kicked the ball at her—found her on the floor of the balcony and brought her to the nearest bathroom to wash her face. When her bleeding nose was cleared, she remembered opening her eyes and saw a boy with dark blue eyes staring at her worriedly. She was too weak to do anything, but she knew that this boy had a kind heart.

Then, she heard another boy scream from over the balcony. "Hey, you! Why don't you come in here and say sorry to the girl!?"

The person who caused her bleeding nose replied, "We can't enter somebody's home without permission, idiots! Now, where's the ball?!"

Sakura winced in pain as the boy with steel blue eyes carried her gently downstairs and outside, while the other boy that screamed over the balcony was still somebody she didn't recognize. She was able to stand up thanks to the help of the same boy who carried her and cleaned out her bloody nose. Her jade eyes glared at the boy who had injured her.

"Why won't you say sorry?" she heard the frustrated voice of the blue-eyed boy that was holding her, "She got a bleeding nose! Now her face is all red! What would we say to her parents?"

Sakura took in all the features of they boy who had accidentally attacked her. He had red hair and brown eyes, his mouth was in a straight line and his hands were in his pockets. To Sakura, he had no trace of feeling guilty at all. Then, the third boy, the one Sakura didn't even see yet, walked up to the stubborn red head. "If I knew something like this would happen, I wouldn't be playing with strangers like you! Why won't you apologize _at least?"_

The hazel eyed boy shrugged and walked away. "You guys are boring. I'm going home."

Although she doesn't remember what happened, Sakura knows that in the end, the red-head eventually apologized, but she knows he didn't mean it.

She grabbed her plastic bags and made her way out of the shopping centre after finishing her drink. Then, she continued her way to the bus stop to catch a bus or taxi to get home. Apparently, with her family gone and her car wrecked, Sakura had no personal transportation to use to get around town.

**How are we going to go to school? **Inner Sakura asked, making Sakura frown uncomfartably as her alter-ego shot her more questions. **We need to get a job to support ourselves, right? Hey, what kind of transport should we ride? Why not we go to some class that teaches self-defense or martial arts?**

'_Listen up, Inner,' _Sakura interrupted her inner-self before she can shoot out any other questions, _'We still have enough money to buy a motorcycle and some groceries enough for ourselves. About the job, I was thinking of maybe a waiter at some café.' _The tomboy saw the bus stop but didn't stop at it, but instead, she walked past it. '_You're right, Inner. Let's go look for some place that teaches self-defense, or maybe…boxing.'_

**Boxing, you say? **Inner Sakura repeated, a smirk on her face with her eyebrow raised, **That would do **_**very **_**nicely. After all, we did manage to learn basics of punching thanks to dad's personal punching bag. But, seriously—a **_**waiter? **_**That's just pathetic, Sakura.**

Sakura shrugged. _'What other job accepts 15-year-olds?'_

Inner Sakura vanished before she answered. Seeing her alter-ego vanish from her mind, Sakura shook her head with a smile on her face. "Have nothing to say, Inner?" The pink-haired girl said to herself softly. She strolled around the city streets on the wonderful, shady and windy evening until she found a gym. Sakura entered it.

The tomboy approached the counter and met with the male worker who greeted her pleasantly. Sakura looked around and asked him, "Um, do you have any self-defense classes?"

The worker frowned apologetically, "I'm sorry, we don't have any classes for martial arts or defense classes. But, you can join our gym and use our punching bags if you want, and maybe earn some strength by lifting weights. We have special packages for newcomers."

The man explained to her the cost of being a member and the monthly fees, benefits and additional charges. Sakura thought that, all in all, the package was worth buying. She filled out a form and she became a member of the gym, and she promised to start next week on Monday, the same day she'll be allowed to go to school again.

The pink-haired girl walked out of the gym and ambled around for 15 minutes looking for a job, but no avail. It was then Sakura decided it was time to look for a taxi and go home.

She didn't even manage to find a taxi until she walked past a store that sold motorcycles. She stopped walking as soon as she saw the pretty bikes and she walked in the store, to be greeted by the male workers who work there. At the time, the store was having a sale and most offers surprised the tomboy, but Sakura wanted something even more; she wanted the bike she's seen in the boys magazine (which she secretly subscribed to without anyone's knowledge).

Sakura was just about to give up and leave the shop until she saw the bike she was looking for; a slick, shiny black bike with big wheels, complete with a matching black helmet and a pair of gloves. When the man noticed her interest toward's the bike, he offered Sakura half the price of that she's seen in the magazine. Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets when she was given such and offer.

In the end, she wore the helmet that covered her pink hair and wore the black gloves, disguising her truly like a boy, and she drove back home in a black bike.

…

_.._

_._

_All my life I've been good_

_But now,_

_I-I-Im thinking,_

_What the hell?_

_._

_.._

…

The school bell rang for recess and the students ran out of class to get to the canteen. Konan rushed out of her seat and went across the class to talk to her best friend.

"Pein, is it okay if we accept a new member in the gang?" Konan asked, putting a hand on the orange-haired boy. His ringed orbs stared at the blue-eyed girl, "Pein, please tell me you're okay with this. I'm sure you won't be disappointed with who I've invited. I only asked one person."

"What kind of person did you invite?" Pein asked in a calm voice. He observed the expression on his female friend's face. He knew that expression; it meant that he might not be happy with her choice. Again, he spoke with a skeptical eyebrow raised, "Okay, Konan, _who _did you ask?"

The blue-haired girl, same age and best friend to Pein, stared at her feet nervously. "I…uh… I mean, I invited…a girl…" Konan stammered, unsure if the leader of the gang would agree with her.

Pein's eyebrow was raised, a skeptical expression on his face. "Her name?"

"S-Sakura H-Haruno…?" Konan replied so nervously it seemed as if she was going to faint. But when she heard no reply from the amber-haired man, she looked up to face his ringed, slightly greyish eyes. His face showed no trace of shock or anger— he seemed as calm as ever.

"Don't regret this, Konan." He spoke, staring into Konan's amber eyes, "Whatever that girly bitch does to the Akatsuki, you're taking full responsibility for it." Both of them walked out of the class at the same time, agreeing to go for recess together, "I guess _you _could be good friends with her, but I'm sure the other members won't agree."

"Today's Friday, isn't it?" Konan smiled, happy Pein didn't explode and scold her for inviting the popular girly girl, "Sakura-chan was given a week holiday since the accident, and tomorrow we can invite the members over to our house and introduce Sakura-chan to them."

The blue-haired girl giggled slightly and her amber eyes twinkled. "When I visited Sakura-chan at the hospital, she said that we'll be surprised by her return. I'm excited to know what she meant by, 'true self'!"

"Hn." Pein muttered as if he wasn't interested.

Without Konan's notice, his ringed orbs glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, wondering the meaning behind her words.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Sakura stopped in front of a beige bungalow slightly bigger than hers. "Okay…" The tomboy said to herself, glancing back at the paper in her hands, "I guess this is the right address, then." It was a Saturday evening and she got a call from Konan earlier, and the blue-haired senior invited Sakura to come over to her house during the evening.

The emerald-eyed girl wore a red, black and white stripe shirt, loose beige-coloured pants, black sneakers with plain white socks, a jacket that seemed as if it hasn't been pressed down with an iron, and a boys cap worn sideways.

She parked her motorcyle at the front garden, took off her helmet and gloves, and went to the front door. She knocked on it and called a greeting. "Hello! Anybody home? I'm Sakura!"

She heard a few people bump into things as if they were in a hurry inside the house, and she could also hear Konan's squealing of excitement. Sakura herself was excited. She wanted to see Konan's expression of her. The pink-haired girl looked at the reflection of herself at the nearby window, covered by long curtains on the inside. She didn't exaggerate with her clothing style; Sakura knew that she liked to dress like this. Even her alter-ego agreed with her.

"Come in, Sakura-chan! The door isn't locked." Konan's excited voice said from behind the door.

The pink-haired girl turned the knob and pushed the door, and stepped inside. But she stopped short when she saw a row of men—9 of them in total—and Konan was standing right beside the door. Her amber eyes looked at Sakura.

"_Sakura-chan?"_

Konan's face was written in shock and surprise, she was stunned by the appearance of the pink-haired girl. At first glance, the blue-haired girl thought it was a male intruder and luckily she didn't manage to reach for a bat to hit him. The row of boys in front of the door—the other Akatsuki members—were stunned by the appearance of the girly girl-turned-tomboy.

"I would prefer, _Sakura-kun." _Sakura said with a smirk, folding her arms after closing the door behind her. She ignored Konan's astonished expression and scanned the line of boys in front of her. "Oh, are these the Akatsuki men?"

Konan shook her head roughly to bring herself back to reality, but she was still surprised. "Um, yeah, these _are _the members of the Akatsuki, Sakura-kun." Sakura smiled at her at the sound of her new name. Konan smiled back and she continued, "You really fooled me for a boy, Sakura-kun. Is this your true self?"

Sakura nodded happily before shooting a handsome grin to her blue-haired friend. Konan continued, "Anyway," She turned toward the stunned members, "This is Sakura-kun, our new member. Would you mind if I introduce her to you?"

Without waiting for an answer, Sakura followed Konan toward the starting of the line. The pink-haired tomboy saw a boy Konan's age, his face had a lot of piercings and his ringed eyes were greyish-blue. He had orange, spiky hair and he was quite burly. "Listen here, girl," Sakura was taken aback by the deep, calm tone of his voice, "I'm Pein, the leader of the Akatsuki. You abide by _my rules."_

Sakura shot a self-confident smirk and her menacing pale-green eyes challenged his. "Oh really, _leader-sama? _Unfortunately, do you think someone in _my _nature would accept _your _rules? Sorry to say, I only listen to Konan-san." Pein glared at her silently, but she wasn't threatened by this.

The tomboy paid attention to the man beside Pein, and she saw an unfamiliar face, his eyes were crimson and he had spiky black hair that reached his waist, and he didn't seem like a student at Konoha High School. Sakura scanned him from head to toe, and she looked up to see his handsome face smirking. "Who the hell are you? I haven't seen you around my school."

"I'm Madara," The man said, his smirk was intriguing to Inner Sakura. "I believe you are that girl at my nephew's school?"

"Nephew?" Sakura asked, confused. After thinking for a while, she shrugged and said roughly, "Oh, you must be the uncle of that damn stubborn Sasuke." The handsome man in front of her chuckled to hear her unpolite remark of Sasuke, but she paid no attention and moved on to the next member.

This time, she was astonished to see the height of this man. He towered above all the others, and his skin was light blue. He had darker blue hair and he was very muscular and bulky. **Hey, I hate to admit it, **Inner Sakura said, **But this shark guy is sexy!**

Sakura mentally blushed, but was relieved that it didn't show on her face. "Yet, _another _guy I haven't seen at my school." She said, rubbing her neck as it started to hurt because of staring at the shark-man for too long, "Who are you?"

"Kisame," he replied, a grin revealed he had triangular teeth, "Pleased to meet you, sweet cheeks."

"Har har." Sakura spat out, "You won't be calling me that after you get a little taste of my fist." The pink haired girl turned her head from left to right and up and down, until her neck made a cracking sound, "Much better. You're so tall it hurts my neck."

Ignoring his grin of self-satisfaction, she walked over to the man next to him. At first, she thought she was staring at her crush, Sasuke Uchiha. But when she took in features, she found out that he had long hair tied in a loose low ponytail at the back of his head, and his eyes were as red as Madara's. "Itachi Uchiha, am I right?" Sakura sighed, "Sheesh, I heard about you through the girls' gossiping. I heard you were so called, 'handsome' but I guess they were all wrong."

The stoic Uchiha glared at her, and his anger flared silently as she yawned rudely and walked over to the man next to him. Sakura saw a man with silver, pulled-back hair and purple eyes. Sakura raised her eyebrow, "Oh, are you that foul-mouthed bastard I heard about at school? Who was it? Um…" She grinned when she saw the angry expression on his face, "Oh yeah, aren't you Hidan?"

"Watch that shitty mouth of yours, bitch!" Hidan cursed, resisting the urge to strangle the handsome girl, "I'll kill you literally and sacrifice you to Jashin-sama!"

"Okay, whatever," Sakura replied, rolling her eyes, "Hopefully you'll get caught for killing me. That's if, you _ever _succeed in doing so."

The tomboy then came face-to-face with a man that wore a black mask and white hood, the only thing visible on his face were his eyes. Sakura thought he had weird-looking, but intriguing eyes; green ones with red around them. His arms appeared to be stitched, and she wondered if his mouth was stiched too. "Hey, how many people in this gang isn't from my school? Who are you, old man?"

Hidan, who heard the nickname Sakura had given his partner, laughed so hard he fell to the floor. The stitched man clentched his fists, "Don't test my patience, _brat. _You do not want to be at odds with me."

Sakura shuddered sarcastically. "Gee, I'm _scared. _What's your name, hm?" When he refused to answer, Konan spoke up. "His name is Kakuzu. Sorry, Sakura-kun, but he's a short-tempered person." The tomboy returned her gaze toward Kakuzu. After minutes of glaring, Sakura walked over to the next man.

"Oh, you seem unique…" Sakura said unintentionally when she saw the half-white half-black boy. "Aren't you Zetsu? You're a student at my school, correct?" The pink-haired girl saw that his eyes were yellow and were weird, and that just adds up to his uniqueness. His hair was green, and he seemed like a calm person.

"Have you heard me from the girls as well?" The bi-polar man asked, "**And thank you for your compliment on me being unique. **You're unique yourself, Sakura-kun." The tomboy was startled by the other, deeper and much more serious voice that he had.

"You got a split personality, I heard. One carefree and easygoing while the other is more serious and knowledgable." The jade-eyed girl said, her eyebrow raised, "I'm happy to say you seem much more courtesy than the other members. Maybe we could get to know each other better."

She walked over to a familiar looking, reddish-brown haired boy. His hazel eyes stared lazily at her. It took a while before Sakura can identify this boy. "_YOU!" _She exclaimed, pointing a finger at him, "You're that jerk from the other day!"

"Yeah, you got that right, _little girl," _Sasori mocked, smirking, "And I believe we've met before, right?"

"Oh yeah, I remember." Sakura replied roughly, "You still up for some football, bastard? I'll make sure that pretty face of yours gets bloody all nice and good. I don't care what your fangirls at my school would do to me." The red-head stared at her with an amused expression on his face. He seemed like he was enjoying her anger.

"You're a feisty one, little girl. I'm Sasori." He introduced himself, a smirk on his face. "I'll look forward to that challenge." He was stunned when he suddenly felt something wet on his cheek. He stumbled a few steps backward, but didn't fall. When he knew what fell on his cheek, he glared at her. "_Gross. _Is this your true nature, little girl?"

Wiping her mouth, Sakura smirked, "I hope that spit I landed on your face would be a reminder that I'm not scared of you anymore. Bring it on, anytime, anywhere."

She went over to face the last man in the row. "Hm? Deidara, am I right?"

The boy had long, golden hair that covered one of his eyes, and his other eye revealed that they were steel blue. At first glance, Sakura thought it was another female, but when she really looked at him, she found out it was the popular guy, who is being crazed over tons of girls on her grade. But she focused on those dark blue eyes. They were similar to the ones fo the boy that cleaned out her bloody nose when she was younger.

"You look familiar, yeah." Deidara remarked, observing her pale-green eyes. It took a while until his lips broke into a smirk. "Hey, you remember me, pinky? I helped clean out your bloody nose and brought you downstairs."

The pink-haired girl smiled. "That's right. Anyway, thank you for doing so."

Deidara was taken aback by her flawless beauty when she smiled. He had no idea that the girly bitch he hated so much was actually the little, innocent girl he had helped when his best friend accidentally injured her when they were younger. "You're welcome, yeah."

"I see you, Deidara and Sasori have already met when you were young." Konan said, walking up to her boyish, pink-haired friend. "Why not we go get a drink, since you now know all the members?"

Before the two turned around to prepare some drinks, Sakura asked the blond-haired boy, "Um, that time, there was another boy besides you and Sasori, right?" Deidara nodded. "Um, can you tell me his name?"

The blond scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, pinky, but that boy was just some stranger that wanted us to play with him. It was like, 7 years ago, so we don't really remember how he looked like. Further more, he didn't even tell us his name, yeah." Deidara looked at the tomboy, "Why would you want to know?"

"No apparent reason." Sakura lied, turning around before the steel blue-eyed boy can give her a suspicious look.

'_I just wonder if that guy who played with them is the same guy that saved me that day.'_

**.**

**.**

**.**

Reviews=Love=Authors Inspiration=Faster Updates


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: 5, 172**

**Summary: **From a girly girl known for her bossiness to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents'

astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Did this transformation attract not only the Akatsuki, but her crush AND nearly all the boys in school? Yes, it did. But does a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthral.

From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku

**A/N: **Oh, I really DO need to get a beta reader. I've browsed through some of them and haven't really found the right one, so…I'll keep searching. There were quite a number of requests for MadaSaku (Madara x Sakura), but I'm sorry to say this chapter involves a different couple. Oh yeah…about the guy who saved Sakura? Definitely not an OC. He's a character in Naruto. Besides, if it was my OC, what's the point of me putting the main characters in this story 'Akatsuki & Sakura H.'?

Anyway, thank you again for wonderful reviews, and I actually skipped school for a week and 1 day! XD Oh, my last-exam-of-the-year is coming, so I might be busy…

…

_.._

_._

_I try playing it cool_

_But when I'm looking at you_

_I can never be brave_

_Cause you make _

_My heart race_

_._

_.._

…

Students entered the school through the gates and walked past the beautiful cherry blossom trees, past the fountain and past the school doors to get to their respective classes.

Most pupils were chatting and talking with their friends, walking around with no direction, or maybe just sitting on the wooden benches. Konan waited by the school fountain that was located right in front of the school doors and behind the vast garden. The wind was playing with her hair, trying to blow the light blue paper flower away, but failed. A few male students walked by and whistled at her, for she was a very beautiful girl. She paid no attention to them.

"Today's Monday…" Konan said to herself softly, tucking a few strands of exotic blue hair behind her ear, "I'm sure Sakura-kun will come to school today…"

The peaceful morning air was disturbed by the sound of a motorcycle entering the school. Students were startled by the sound of the engine, and stared as the rider, hidden by a black helmet, parked the matching black bike by the bicycle stand and locked it so nobody would steal it. The blue-haired beauty scrunched her eyes to take a better look at the mysterious rider. The rider was wearing a male uniform—grey jacket, button-up shirt, red tie and grey pants. His face was hidden by the translucent helmet.

Before the rider could even remove the helmet, a few girls crowded him. Her view of the mysterious boy was blocked, so Konan walked toward the crowd of girls. Although she didn't get to see the rider's face, she knew it was actually Sakura. Her hair was short enough to be covered by the helmet.

"Get the _hell _out of my way!" Sakura's voice shouted, making Konan amused by how the helmet disguised her voice, "I'm late…for…an Akatsuki meeting!"

A few girls squealed in excitement. "Oh my god, are you a member of the Akatsuki?! That's so cool! Are you a new student here, too? We haven't seen you around here before!"

The crowd of girls were attaracting most of the students there, including the male students. Konan was starting to get uncomfartable as most of the people in Sakura's grade started making the crowd bigger. The blue-haired girl decided to push her way through and get to the pink-haired tomboy.

Before she successfully made her way through, she heard her new friend sigh from under the helmet. "Argh, I can't believe that stubborn Uchiha kid had to face with this kind of thing every day." Konan saw that Sasuke was in the crowd as well, listening to Sakura's words. "Don't be disappointed, girls." The tomboy removed her helmet and every single person gasped.

Ino was among the crowd, and she thought her eyes were lying to her. Sakura's long, silky hair was cropped so short a _helmet _can actually hide it, she was wearing a _boy's uniform _and she was riding a black motorcycle that only those gangster kinds would ride. Ino also didn't believe what she just heard, too. _She's a member of the Akatsuki? _Sakura must be lying.

"Sakura-kun!" Konan rushed to the emerald-eyed girl, panting, "Do you know how hard it is to get through the crowd? We're late, so come on; we've got a 'meeting' to get to." Mentally, the blue-haired woman winked at Sakura, making her smile.

Some of the people in the crowd gasped again. A girl shouted, "Konan-sama, is this bitch really the newest member of the Akatsuki?!"

A vein popped on Sakura's forehead, and she gave the crowd the best fake smile she can make. "Hahaha…just change that nickname from 'bitch' to a 'bastard' and you'll be _just _fine." Her pale-green eyes scanned the crowd as she walked toward the school doors with Konan, and sure enough, she saw Sasuke, her used-to-be crush, staring at her with face written in utter shock. The other boys and girls who hated her have the same expression, too. Mentally, she grinned.

The two friends wandered aimlessly around the school for 10 minutes. "Where's Pein, Konan-san?" Sakura asked the popular girl, looking around to see if there were any signs of the members of the Akatsuki, "Usually Pein is with you, right?"

Konan nodded, "Yeah, that's right. But I left school earlier than him today, so I'm pretty sure he didn't arrive yet," Her amber eyes rolled back and she giggled, "The students back there were really shocked to see you, Sakura-kun. Itachi's little brother was there, too."

The tomboy rolled her eyes. "Urgh, that Sasuke guy is the whole reason I became someone else." Konan immediately stopped laughing and became quiet. The pink-haired girl noticed the silence, and shrugged. "Yeah, I had a crush on him and followed some stupid gossip. _That _ruined my reputation."

"I guess there's a moral for that story," Konan remarked, and suddenly she spoke in a fake, posh accent, "You must _always _be true to youself, young lady!"

Both of them laughed at her accent, and at the same time, the school bell rang. "School is going to start, Sakura-kun," Konan said when the noisy bell was silent; "I'm going to class. We'll meet up for recess, okay?"

Sakura nodded happily, waving goodbye to the blue-haired girl and separated. When the tomboy entered class, most of the nattering students stopped and stared at her, riling her. "What the _hell _are you people staring at?!" she snapped, and a few boys flinched, "Go mind your own business or else!"

The jade-eyed girl made her way past her classmates and to her seat at the back of the class, near the window, right behind Ino and Hinata that were stunned to see Sakura's appearance. She sat on her chair recklessly, a small grey bag was dumped beside her table, and she stared out the window to ignore the stares given by her classmates.

"Um…Sakura-chan…?"

The tomboy snapped out of her daydreaming and looked up to see who called her name. She saw a familiar looking girl with a pair of grey eyes and long, blackish-purple hair. She knew that this girl is actually Hinata, the shy Hyuga girl that sits in front of her. "Um, call me Sakura-kun. What do you want?"

Hinata cringed slightly at the rough reply. "The girls in class want to know…if you really are a member of the Akatsuki…and…" the timid girl stuttered, "They want to know…why you've changed."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and she got up to look at the group of girls a few feet away from them. Hinata's best friend, Ino, a brown-haired girl named Tenten, and another blond, Temari, was there, staring at them. "So, they send _you _to ask me those questions?" Sakura asked, and Hinata nodded nervously. The pink-haired girl shrugged. "What a bunch of cowards. Anyway, I _am _a member of the Akatsuki, Konan-san invited me, and I changed because of my parents' death."

Hinata winced at the last words of Sakura's sentence. The tomboy raised her eyebrow, "Does that answer your questions?" The raven-haired girl nodded quickly and ran back toward her friends. Sakura shook her head and sighed as she watched the Hyuuga girl talk to her friends. The young girl was just about to sit back down and continue daydreaming until her eyes glanced over to the group of boys at the far end of class. Among them was her former crush, along with his best friends, Naruto and Sai. The tomboy could tell that they were staring at her even though her eyes met their gaze.

At that time, Sakura wasn't in the mood for glaring or spitting out bad words, so she just pretended like she didn't notice.

…

_.._

_._

"_Are you still willing to be called the 'Princess'?"_

"_You can have it. I have no idea who came up with that stupid nickname anyway."_

_._

_.._

…

Sakura started her motorcycle's engine and it roared to a start, startling some of the students nearby. She strapped her helmet on tightly and wore her gloves before hopping onto her bike to go home. She drove out the school gate, exiting the school, and she decided to use a shortcut to get to her house faster. After crossing a few junctions, she turned left, entering an alley that would lead straight to her house.

"You fool! Why are you so stupid?!"

The tomboy stopped her bike as soon as she heard the sentence. Although Sakura didn't see who had screamed out that insult, she could tell it belonged to a male, his voice rather familiar. The emerald-eyed girl decided to drive straight, but much more quietly this time.

Sakura saw the end of the alley, and just a few kilometers away would be her home. As she approached the exit, she stopped her bike at the sight of two figures. She realized that one of them seemed angry while the other one was silent, and she couldn't see the figures clearly. The pink-haired girl parked her bike not far from them and walked toward the two figures.

To her surprise, it was Hinata and her cousin, Neji.

Sakura approached with great stealth, even though her steps could easily echo off the walls, she approached her two classmates without being noticed. She realized that Neji had a cross expression on his face, while Hinata's face was written with guilt. The raven-haired girl seemed as if she was going to cry.

"I'm sorry, Neji-san. I didn't know that—"

"Apologizing won't do any good! Why do you have to be such a bi—"

"Hey, you!" Sakura interrupted roughly, her voice showing anger. The two Hyuga heirs turned their eyes toward the tomboy, and Hinata gasped slightly at the sight of her. The tomboy pointed an accusing finger at Neji, "What the hell are you doing with calling Hinata bad names, bastard?!"

The brown-haired boy folded his arms, his grey eyes glaring at the tomboy. "It is none of your business, Haruno. She has done a big mistake that can ruin my reputation at school."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "And _who cares _if your reputation is destroyed? It'll be _even worse _if everyone knew that the 'cleverest' boy in the grade is actually a foul-mouthed idiot that likes to take out all his anger on his innocent cousin."

Her pale green eyes turned toward Hinata, whose tears were already gathered at the end of her eyes and ready to stream out. "I'm sure what she did isn't that serious," the tomboy tried to convince Neji, but he was still enraged. Noticing his anger, Sakura walked up to Hinata and told her to go home. The shy girl immediately followed what she said and thanked her, leaving Sakura to deal with her cousin.

"Who do you think you are, Haruno?" Neji hissed, grabbing the Haruno heir by the arm. "Just because you've changed into some tomboy doesn't mean you can interfere with my private problems!"

Sakura glared back and shoved him, "I'm a girl, too, you idiot! I'm sure Hinata didn't do whatever she did on purpose!" The brown-haired male glared back, but the tomboy's glare was greater, "Besides, you want me to spread the news of you abusing Hinata? That'll destroy your reputation nice and good, right?"

Neji just kept quiet, and Sakura grinned as she realized she's just won the argument. "Just because Hinata's kind and timid, and just because you're her cousin, doesn't mean you can bully her all you want." The pink-haired girl walked up to Neji and punched him—hard – on the arm. He was shocked by the sudden attack and didn't get a chance to hit her back.

He flinched and rubbed his sore arm. "What was that for, Haruno?!"

Sakura folded her arms and smirked, "For bullying Hinata, idiot. If you ever bully her again, I'll make sure this whole secret is spread throughout the whole school." The brown-haired boy looked away and considered her words. He surely didn't want his reputation to be completely destroyed.

The tomboy turned around and headed toward her bike parked a few meters away, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. Neji's grey eyes stared into Sakura's exotic pale-green ones, "Haruno, don't threat me like this. What about something lighter?"

The pink-haired girl's face had an amused expression. She turned around to face the Hyuga male and said, "Okay…what about a study date? You _are _the cleverest boy in the grade, and I _do _need some help on my homework…"

Neji nodded, "Okay, how many study dates?"

Sakura laughed. "Just one, idiot. But, if you insist…" the tomboy paused for a while to make a decision, "No, I'll take only one study date. But if you teach me good enough, I might change my mind." The pinkette continued to walk toward her bike and waved, "So long."

Her bike's engine roared and echoed off the walls of the alley, and she drove past Neji and turned toward the road to her home. The brown-haired boy watched her bike disappear into the distance. '_Only one study date, Haruno?' _Neji thought, folding his arms, '_She's an interesting girl and I'd like to spend time with her.' _Turning around, he walked back toward his own home. _'Maybe I could bring her out for some lunch when we're done.'_

…

_.._

_._

_I'm thick-skinned_

_Tough as a push pin_

_Don't be dancing 'round my feelings_

_Bitch I'm a vixen_

_You should have listened_

_._

_.._

…

Sakura parked her bike in front of the gym and took off her black helmet and gloves. She grabbed her small bag and entered the gym, greeted by a few workers. She showed them her membership card, allowing her to enter the gym. There, she was impressed by the number of machines she could use for working out.

She was a wearing a plain, white tank top and a red tracksuit pants, followed with a small, red jacket. She took off her jacket and started building up her strength by lifting the weights. It was a wonderful afternoon—she rested at her home for 2 hours and decided to start her first day at the gym she's registered in a few days ago. There weren't many people present at the gym in the afternoon, so much of the machines there were avaible for Sakura's use.

She worked out for at least an hour and a half until she decided to take a 30 minute break. She ambled toward the small, brown bag she's brought along with her and got out a bottle of mineral water. She drank the water slowly to quench her thirst. When she was done, she stared out the open windows of the gym and saw people walking around, most were talking on the phone and were talking to their colleagues.

She sat down at one of the provided chairs, and daydreamed to pass the time idly. She was dreaming for 15 minutes, wondering about what Konan is doing now, the objectives of the Akatsuki being formed, and also…Neji. Why did he even ask 'how many' study dates? If he didn't like the idea of her blackmailing him like that, he could've just been grateful she only asked for one study date. He didn't have to bring up the idea that she can ask for as much as 10 study dates.

"Well, hello there, miss."

Sakura was forced back to reality when she was startled by a deep voice greeting her. She turned toward the male that was giving her a grin. He had dark blue hair and lighter blue skin; he was very tall and bulky. It was one of the Akatsuki members, Kisame.

"You're a member here?" Sakura asked, looking up at the humanoid shark. When he nodded, Inner Sakura suddely took over the tomboy's body and asked Kisame without her permission, "**Is that why you're so burly?**"

"Thanks, shrimp." Kisame smirked as Sakura blushed slightly at her alter-ego's reaction, "You got some pretty nice muscles yourself. I come here during my free time, and I didn't expect to see you here. Are you a new member?"

"Yeah, I am," Sakura nodded, pushing herself off the chair and keeping her bottle back inside her bag, "And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go build up my stamina."

"Want me to teach you in building your strength?" Kisame insisted, and Sakura stared at him with her eyebrow raised. The humanoid shark shrugged, "Well, you said yourself that I'm bulky, so I guess I could teach you a bit of self-defense, right?"

"I hate to say you're right," Sakura sighed, "But I would like at least a girl to teach me, because I would be much more comfartable that way." It was Kisame's turn to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?" the pink-haired girl asked, "I'm just a girl worried about my safety."

Kisame smirked, "Oh, you'll be safe with me, shrimp. I can't risk having Konan killing me." He watched as Sakura giggled, "Anyway, you're a member of the Akatsuki, so I can't possibly hurt you. So, would you let me teach you? I wouldn't want some pink-haired tomboy getting kidnapped because she couldn't protect herself. If you look like a boy, you need some strength like a boy."

Sakura folded her arms and considered his words. She hates it whenever somebody's right and rubs it in her face. "Okay…I'll try. You know jujitsu? I'd like to learn that."

"I don't, unfortunately." Kisame said, making her frown, "But I do know some techniques for self-defense. Interested?"

"Okay, I'm interested." Sakura smirked, and she took a pair of gloves nearby, "I'll start with punching, okay? After training, let's go out for a drink."

**.**

It was hard training with the blue-haired man. He was rather rough with her, he punched her jaw several times while they were training together, and Sakura even spat out a few drops of blood. All Kisame said was that she was supposed to 'withstand' the pain.

When she was completely worn out, her jaw and a trail of blood from the end of her mouth to her chin, and she had a few bruises on her arms. She was too tired to even move, so Kisame had to bring her to the sink himself to wash out her bloody mouth. As he did so, he was telling Sakura that she was supposed to toughen up and something like that, but Sakura wasn't even listening. As he was too busy cleaning her mouth, she stared at him with her eyes half-open. This thing reminded her of her encounter with Deidara when she was younger.

They had trained for 2 hours and it was a wonderful, windy evening outside. Sakura was sitting down on the floor as she watched Kisame wipe the back of his neck with a piece of cloth as he stares out the window. "Hey, Kisame," the tomboy started, making the bulky man turn around and look at her, "Thank you for teaching me, and cleaning out my bloody mouth. Um…it's a beautiful evening; let's go out for a drink we promised earlier?"

Kisame smirked and walked toward Sakura, helping her up. "Yeah, that'll be a nice date, shrimp. You got some money? I'll pay half of the meal."

"It's not a date!" Sakura blushed, releasing her grip on Kisame's strong hand, "It's…a treat between friends. Why are you even calling me shrimp? It's irritating! I have a name, you know!"

"I'm happy you're calling me a friend, I'm honoured." Kisame grinned at her, tossing her red jacket at the tomboy, "My favourite food is shrimp and crab, just in case you don't know. I call you shrimp because you look…_delicious."_

"Yeah right," Sakura spat out, wearing her red jacket and grabbing her sling bag, "I'm sure you're just calling me shrimp because you think I'm small. Everyone knows you're tall, Kisame." They stepped out the gym, and followed the pavement. "Where are we going to eat, Kisame?"

"A café nearby," the humanoid shark replied, pointing toward a small building that had a western-style setting, "It's right there. I always go there when I'm hungry. The food is delicious, it's cheap and the waitresses there are _damn _hot, too. I brought Itachi, Hidan and Kakuzu once, and they all agree. I just wished Hidan would shut his foul-mouth up."

"Hidan's a foul-mouth bastard, huh?" Sakura grinned and shook her head. "I'd like to know more about the Akatsuki members. Do you mind telling me?"

"No problem, shrimp," Kisame replied, causing a vein to pop on Sakura's forehead. They entered the café, greeted by a few stunning waitresses who showed great courtesy. They sat at a table made for two people, ordered some food and had a chat.

"What do you know about Konan?" Sakura asked as Kisame sipped on his drink, her pale-green eyes twinkled with excitement, "She's such a beautiful and calm person, she's kind, too. I heard you live with her. What do you know about her?"

Kisame shrugged, "Not much. She was a really quiet person who did most of our chores and cooked most of our meals, but the person who knows her best is definitely Pein." He put his drink down and tried to ignore the flirtatious glances the waitresses were giving him. "I know Itachi, though."

He watched Sakura roll her eyes and fold her arms. "Urgh, no thanks. I don't even want to know about any Uchiha males, please."

As she ate her meal, she started to realize a few waitresses glaring at her. She stopped eating and her eyes met their gaze, they didn't turn away. Kisame was right; the waitresses were all blond and brunette, most with beautiful blue eyes. But they were releasing an aura that clearly states that they are jealous.

"Don't mind them, Sakura," Kisame said as he noticed the waiteresses' glares. Sakura turned her attention toward the blue-haired bulky man, and she just realized it was the first time Kisame had called her with her real name. He continued, "Most of them have a crush on me, since I'm burly. So they're jealous to see a girl with me, and to see I'm turning down their flirts."

"Oh, I see…" Sakura said with her mouth full of noodles. Kisame laughed at how she looked like when her mouth was stuffed with food. As the tomboy stared at him in wonder of why he was laughing, she realized another man looking at her from afar. He was quite far, so Sakura can't get a clear description of him. But he was watching them.

Watching _her._

She tried to ignore the stranger, but he just stood outside the café and watched her. She was starting to get uncomfartable. She didn't tell Kisame about this, though. She continued chatting with him like nothing is happening. But Kisame realized this.

"What are looking at, shrimp?" the humanoid shark asked, looking over his shoulder, "Is there anyone you know outside the café?"

"Nothing…" Sakura said, assuring him, "I…uh…just got curious when I saw a man standing outside the café. But turns out he was waiting for his…girlfriend." The tomboy bit the inside of her cheek, hoping her friend would believe her lie.

Although Kisame raised an eyebrow and looked at her with his face having a skeptical look, Sakura pretended like she didn't notice. **Sakura, what are you waiting for? **Inner Sakura suddenly voiced, tapping her foot impatiently. **Compliment this **_**sexy **_**shark!**

'_Sexy? Yeah right, inner.' _Sakura sneered at her alter-ego. '_You're calling __**him **__good-looking? He looks downright weird.'_

Inner Sakura gave an obnoxious smirk and folded her arms, **I know you better than anyone, Sakura. I know you think Kisame is **_**hot **_**and sexy!**

Her cheeks were coloured bright pink slightly, but Kisame didn't seem to notice. Sakura was thankful for that, but as her Inner started encouraging her more and more to flirt with the bulky man, she knew she needed to make Kisame go away. "Urm…Kisame, why not you go pay? It's late in the evening already."

Kisame looked out the windows and saw the sunset. He quickly got up and said, "You're right, shrimp. Um…I'll pay for the whole thing. You don't have to pay." Sakura raised an eyebrow and Kisame grinned, "Anything for a pretty lady like you."

Sakura blushed and wasn't afraid to show it. The humanoid shark grinned even more and turned around to proceed with paying. The pink-haired girl watched as the cashier flirtatiously glanced at Kisame and tried to flirt with him, but he didn't seem to notice. When he didn't given her attention, the cashier glared at the tomboy.

They got up and left the café. The sky was golden with a hint of red and orange, and Sakura stared at it in awe. The wind was playing with her, pushing her bangs into her eyes, but her hand tucked her hair behind her ear. Kisame was staring in admiration, but not at the sky—at Sakura. She was so beautiful, even though she had a masculine appearance, when she's in clothes that would describe her as a woman, she seemed so stunning. Her eyes and hair were downright _exotic. _He's lucky to be walking a beautiful girl like her to her bike.

They were nearing her bike until Sakura suddenly bumped into someone because she was staring at the sky so much she didn't realize where she was going. The person she bumped into fell to the floor, but she just stumbled and didn't fall—well, thank to Kisame who held her, of course. Sakura got up and thanked Kisame with a faint blush, because the way Kisame caught her was as if they were hugging romantically.

She wanted to help the person she bumped into up, but she changed her mind when she saw that the person was actually the arrogant boy, Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura sneered, "Oh, I'm sorry, _Sasuke-kun. _Would you like me to help you up?"

Sasuke glared at her, and another hand helped him up. It was a boy with white hair, the same age as Sakura. He seemed familiar, and he seemed very close to Sasuke. He noticed Sakura looking at him suspiciously, and he grinned, making her startled to see his triangular teeth that were similar to Kisame's. "Hello there, sweetheart. Like what you see?"

"I don't even know what I'm looking at." Sakura replied roughly, making Kisame snicker behind her. Sasuke turned away arrogantly and shoved his hands in his pockets as he heard his friend try to flirt with Sakura. "Sweetheart, I'm Suigetsu. Mind telling me your name?"

"I'm _Sakura-kun, Suigetsu." _Sakura said sarcastically, but she realized his grin turn into a frown when he saw Kisame. She turned around and saw Kisame frowning as well. '_Interesting…' _Sakura thought to herself, _'These two are old enemies, huh?'_

The white-haired boy turned back his attention toward the stunning beauty. "Sakura-chan, why are you with… _him?" _He gestured toward Kisame that was standing behind her. Suigetsu suddenly slipped his hands around Sakura's waist, making her gasp sharply, pulling her closer to him. "Better come with me, beautiful."

Sakura tried to shove him away, but his grip was strong. "No thanks, you pervert! Get your hands off me!" The tomboy realized that Sasuke seemed much more irritated than before, but that wasn't the problem now. Suigetsu grabbed her by the chin and they were facing each other, nose-to-nose. "Sakura...may I know your number?"

Sakura blushed slightly, but she felt another hand pull her away from Suigetsu. To see that Kisame had done so, she felt relieved. "Thank you, Kisame," Sakura smiled when she managed to stand up by herself, "That pervert is getting on my nerves…"

"He's getting on mine, too." Kisame replied, patting Sakura on the head, "Go to your bike, Sakura. I'll see you later, okay?"

Sakura shot a cheerful smile at him and nodded. Kisame thought she was cute, but he didn't want to say it with Suigetsu in front of him. He had odds with the white-haired boy, and he definitely didn't want Sakura—_his _Sakura- to be taken away by anyone else. He watched Sakura run to her bike, wear her helmet and gloves, and drive away.

He turned around to face Suigetsu. "She's _mine, _bastard."

Suigetsu shot him an obnoxious smirk. "You're wrong. Who would fall in love with a human shark like you?_"_

Sasuke was nearby. He was irritated that his friend is making him wait. He was also enraged that the two boys had contact with the tomboy. Angrily, he whispered softly to himself. "_Mine."_

_..._

_.._

_._

_I just had_

_The best _

_Evening of my_

_Life…_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: **How was that for NejiSaku, KisaSaku and SuiSaku? Urm, more romance? Okay…I'll work on that. Who do you think was the man who was watching Sakura from afar? Who do you think is Sakura's saviour?

From the start, I have planned for _ to be her saviour; I wanted him to be her saviour before I even posted the first chapter. I wonder if any of my reviewers will get the guess right? If you do, I might dedicate the "Revealing" chapter to the user who guessed it right!

Reviews=Love=Author's Inspiration=Faster Updates.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: **5, 061

**Summary: **From a girly girl known for her bossiness to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents' astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Did this transformation attract not only the Akatsuki, but her crush AND nearly all the boys in school? Yes, it did. But a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthral.

From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku

**A/N: **I'm having problems with sending chapters to a beta reader which I had just found…so if things don't work out I would find a new one, yes? Anyway, this chapter isn't read by a beta reader, so expect mistakes. Also, in further chapters I might use French words with translations at the end of it. Enjoy!

…

_.._

_._

_Fortune favors the bold _

_Luck favors the brave_

_Providence favors the prepared_

_._

_.._

…

"Sakura-kun," Konan said, tucking her hair behind her ear, "I'll be busy for a while, so that might mean I might not be able to spend time with you." The blue-haired girl looked around, and then whispered, "Pein is sick and it seems kind of bad."

Sakura raised her eyebrows, "Really? That's too bad; I was really hoping to go shopping with you for the weekends. Anyway, tell Pein that I hope he'll get well. I thought he was only off color for a while. How bad is his fever?" The tomboy noticed the sun rise and starts to brighten the sky into a golden-orange color. She came to school earlier than usual and she never really thought watching the sunrise at school was as pretty as it is during sunset.

"Like I said, it is pretty bad," Konan's eyebrows drew together in worry and her lips curved into a frown, "The sickness has enfeebled him. He can't even stand up for so long if not he'll feel like vomiting, and worst enough," Her eyes were written in disgust, "I have to feed him! Sakura-kun, your mother was a doctor, right? I heard she was the best doctor in the hospital and could cure almost anything!"

Sakura scratched the back of her head and stared at the sky, her unoccupied hand was in her pocket. "Um…yeah, she was a doctor at the town's hospital. Why do you ask?"

Konan blushed with embarassment and made a silly, puerile face, "Er, I was hoping that some of your mother's natural healing skills might've passed on to you, so could you try to take care of Pein next Sunday? I'll be busy then."

The pink-haired girl raised her eyebrow so high it was as if it would fall off her forehead. Konan was asking her to _babysit _the so-called _legendary and all-feared _Pein? The guy who practically every guy in school worships? She is _not _that type of person. Eventually, Sakura sighed, "_Fine, _I'll do it, Konan-san. But that's only because you've been such a great friend."

The blue-haired senior nearly leaped with happiness, but restrained herself from doing so because of the students that were around them, "Thank you so much, Sakura-kun! Hopefully he won't bother you much, though." Her amber eyes twinkled, but just as then, the bell rang. "Oh, it's already time for the prefect meeting! I'll see you later, Sakura-kun!"

Sakura waved goodbye with a smile on her face, but as her senior friend disappeared through the school doors along with other prefects, the tomboy paused. _'Konan-san's a prefect?' _Sakura thought to herself in bewilderment. '_No wonder her uniform color isn't the same as the girls' uniform. Her's is blue, while the girls' uniform is grey.'_

It was unusual for the pink-haired girl to come to school so early in the morning, and since there were hardly any students around, Sakura decided to pretend the school's cherry blossom trees belonged to her. Taking off her grey jacket, she giggled like a child and ran round and round the trees, jumping over the benches and hiding from the passing students like she was 7. Whenever she hid, she would giggle so loudly it would be easy to notice her.

She went to the vending machine and inserted money for a can of chocolate drink, and when the drink didn't come out, her eyebrows drew together in frustration. She knocked on the glass, "Work, you damned thing!" She tried and tried but no avail, and with anger, she kicked the machine as hard as she could. "Why won't you work, you stupid machine!"

Immeditaly, she heard the sound of a can dropping onto the floor, and she looked down to her feet to see that her chocolate drink has made it out. She grinned in self-satisfaction, picked it up and turned around to walk away.

Well, until she felt someone hug her from behind. She was frozen stiff, and she felt a hot breath against her ear. "Where are you going, Sakura-_chan? _You're early to school today." The voice sounded seductive, and a red blush coloured the tomboy's cheeks. She stepped on the boy's foot, making him release his grip of her and allowing her to turn around to see who had hugged her.

Her blush faded and her eyes glared with scorn in them as she saw the handsome, white-haired boy smirking at her. "Good morning, _pervert. _Unless you want me to beat the _shit _out of you, you better get the hell out of my face, _Suigetsu-kun."_

Suigetsu's smirk grew wider on his handsome face, "I like how you say my name, dear. Anyway, you still haven't answered my question which I asked you two days ago. May I know your number?"

"You think you have the chance?" Sakura snarled at him, "I'd rather shout scurrilous words at you and get kicked out of school than at least _touching _your shirt." The pink-haired tomboy opened up the can and drank; her emerald-eyes watched the white-haired boy as he watched the former-girly girl drink. When she was done, she pulled on a bored expression and said, "Didn't you know I like smart guys? You're in the _last class, _idiot."

"True, but sometimes the stupid ones aren't that bad," Suigetsu stopped smirking and his face went neutral. Sakura watched with amusement as it was the first time she saw him without a _stupid _perverted look on his face. He sat down on the bench next to the machine, "I'm sorry if I offended you in any way, Sakura-chan. You're just a very nubile girl, even though you look like a boy."

Sakura stood still, not making any effort to sit next to the handsome troublemaker. Her cheeks blushed ever so slightly as her eyes watched Suigetsu look at her. "Did you just _have _to say nubile?" The pink-haired girl asked, embarrassed. The white-haired boy blinked, and after a few seconds, the question finally absorbed into his brain.

He smirked slightly, "I'm not lying, Sakura-chan."

The tomboy's red blush became more visible. In a loss of what to do and feeling too embarrassed to look into his purple eyes, she folded her arms and quickly looked away, the red blush still on her cheeks to amuse Suigetsu. "I…err..." Sakura coughed and mentally slapped her forehead. **You suck at answering flirts! **Inner Sakura shook her head, **Want me to handle it?**

'_**Hell **__no, Inner!' _Sakura declined; trying to convince her alter-ego she'll be fine, _'You're not going to embarrass me in front of this white-haired pervert! It was worst enough with Kisame on Monday!'_

"**Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're sexy yourself, you know,**" Sakura suddenly said, and immediately slapped her palm over her mouth, blushing like crazy as Inner Sakura laughed on the floor of her mind. Suigetsu blinked, and the tomboy couldn't believe her eyes as the white-haired boy's face blushed red. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that!"

Suigetsu's jaw dropped in embarrassment, his face flushed red and Sakura can see slight traces of smoke coming from his blush. She stifled a giggle as she watched how abashed he was. She only flirted with him once, and he's as red as a tomato! The tomboy would be rolling on the floor laughing now, but she didn't want to humiliate him more.

Walking up to the bench he was sitting on, she put her hands on both of his shoulders and bended down so her face would be on the same level as his. Suigetsu's blush faded and he stared into Sakura's beautiful, exotic pale-green eyes and thinking about how her weird jade eyes and pink hair matched. "Suigetsu," he heard her seraphic voice speak, "I'm not an amenable person who you could easily coax. But, I must admit that you have received my trust and I admire your boldness," Sakura's smile broke into a grin, "So for that, you shall receive your fortune."

The white-haired boy pulled his face closer toward Sakura's until they were inches away. His purple eyes scrolled from her beautiful eyes to her soft lips. The tomboy wasn't putting in any effort to move away from the danger of accidentally kissing. But he averted his gaze at her sexy lips and met with her eyes again, and he raised his eyebrow. "And that is?"

Sakura grinned, "My number, of course!"

_._

**Hell yeah! You **_**finally **_**gave that **_**hot **_**guy your number! **Inner Sakura punched the air happily, **Congratulations, girl! You got one boy on your 'most possible boyfriend-to-be' list!**

Sakura mentally rolled her eyes as she tossed her empty aluminum can into the recycling bin. _'Since __**when **__did I create that list, Inner? Or did __**you**__ create it four seconds ago?' _The tomboy watched her alter-ego stick out her tongue and fold her arms. She smiled slightly and shook her head as she saw her inner's reaction.

**But hey, at least you flirted with the guy, right? **Inner Sakura looked on the bright side, grinning as if she was so damned proud, **Keep it up, Sakura! Hey, why not we go make an attempt to kiss Itachi or Deidara?**

Sakura's jaw dropped as soon as she heard her alter-ego's suggestion. _'What?' _Sakura thought as if her ears were lying to her, '_I am NOT going to kiss ANYONE until I'm 21!'_

**Okay, whatever! **Inner Sakura flipped her hair grouchily, and then mumbled something audible to Sakura, **Well…at least make **_**them **_**kiss **_**you.**_

The tomboy was too lazy to argue back with her inner-self and watched more and more students arrive to the school. The day was bright enough to be 7.30 am, and school would start in 50 minutes. Sakura retrieved her jacket and grey sling bag from the bench where she left it earlier in the morning, and realized that Konan was waving her hands at her. Sakura waved back with a smile and ran toward her.

"The meeting's over, huh?" Sakura asked with a smile on her face, happy that she could get yet another 30 minutes to talk with her best friend. "Anything exciting happened?"

"No, not much, just a few discipline problems and some updates," Konan said, her lips curved into a smile in reply to Sakura's, "But I was thinking, now that we're friends, why not we get to know more about each other? I mean, I don't even know your birthday."

"My birthday is on 28th of March, my zodiac is Aries. What about you?" The tomboy informed, ambling around the tree-shaded garden of her school with the blue-haired senior next to her. Konan winked at her, "I'm on 20th February, Pisces. Did you know that your zodiac is the same as Hidan's zodiac?"

"I guess our personalities are alike, then," Sakura remarked, "Do you mind telling me about Hidan, anyway? From the gossiping machines in my class, I heard that he likes to flirt."

She watched Konan roll her eyes, "Whatever gossiping you hear about that bastard is _always _true. He can have up to 5 girlfriends at a time if he wants, and he would turn down confessions harshly." Her amber eyes showed sympathy, "Most girls who liked him were my friends. They said he turned them down with offensive words."

"What a bastard," Sakura commented angrily and folded her arms, "How do girls even _fall _for him, anyway? He's not good-looking; he's stupid, foul-mouthed and a heartless pansy."

"Oh, but he's good at persuading and coaxing, that's for sure!" The blue-haired girl declared and shook her head, "He tried to wangle a date with me once but failed. I'm not easily fooled, and besides, Pein was glaring at him."

Sakura giggled as she pictured Konan turning down his flirts and Pein glaring at the silver-haired man while releasing a dark and jealous aura. Then, she heard Konan stick out her tongue in disgust, "What I hate _most _about him is his religion! He goes _on and on_ about his _Jashin-sama._"

"Oh, I heard that that religion encourages bad doings!" Sakura said with surprise, "Is that why he has such a bad but popular reputation in this town?"

Konan nodded, "Yes, exactly. In his room he would pray out loud and ask for forgiveness from his Jashin-sama for not _injuring _or _fighting _with someone today. This religion even encourages him to speak bad words. I have never—not once, even heard him say at least _one_ sentence without the word 'fuck', 'shit' or any other bad words."

"You know, I'm sure that it'll be smart of you to stay away from that brash, pugnacious man," The blue haired girl admonished, "He likes ogling at women, and did you know he tried flirting with the principle?" Sakura's jaw dropped, "_That _got him in trouble. Tsunade-sama's favourite nickname for mischief-makers is 'a stupid, amoral yob'."

"Let's stop talking about that idiot," Sakura suggested, not wanting know more as Hidan had just made it to her 'Most Hated Guys' list along with the Uchiha's. She didn't know why she hated the Uchiha clan, but she just hated it. "What's your favorite color, Konan-san? I like the color red and green."

"I like white and pink," Konan replied with a winsome smile, "You know, Sakura-kun, why not you come over to my house tonight for a sleepover? I bet it would be fun!"

"Sure, I'll be free tonight!" Sakura grinned with her hands in her pockets, "That way, we could have breakfast and walk to ride to school together. Um, Konan-sama, do you have any tips on how to handle confessions from people you don't like?"

Konan blinked and her face was written in surprise. "I get these kinds of things all the time. Why do you ask?" Immediately her beautiful yellowish-brown eyes sparkled with excitement, "Did someone confess to you?"

"Um, something like that…?" The tomboy replied nervously, unsure of what to say. Konan then stood up straight and said, "First of all, you can turn it down politely, either with honesty or with lying."

"Honesty or lying?" Sakura wondered, confused, "What does that mean?"

"For example, honesty means that you could tell the person the characteristics of him that you dislike, or maybe the physical part of him that doesn't interest you," The blue-haired beauty explained with great dedication, "With lying, you could tell him that you already have a secret boyfriend, like someone else, or is currently seeing someone that is most possible to become your next boyfriend."

Sakura nearly gaped at how much information Konan had given her. "Thanks, it will be useful. I didn't even know those tips even exist." She noticed the twinkle in her friend's pretty eyes, and then sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you who, more or less, confessed to me." Konan squealed in excitement, and the tomboy told her, "That stubborn Sasuke's best friend, Suigetsu."

At first, the beautiful senior blinked and was silenced as she tried to remember who that was. At last, Konan smiled, "Oh, I know him. He tried flirting with me once, but my ex-boyfriend scared him away."

Right after she had finished her sentence, the school bell rang in indication that school had started. "School's started," Sakura uttered and watched the students hurry into the school. The two friends' eyes met each other, and they nodded and said farewell before heading in opposite directions.

…

_.._

_._

_I would call you up _

_Every Saturday night_

_And we'll both stay up_

_Till the morning light _

_And we sang_

"_Here…we go...again…"_

_._

_.._

…

It wasn't normal for the tomboy to be seen, not walking out of school, but toward the library. Her personality change is now known throughout the school, shocking teachers and change is still new, though. Most people don't believe that the ex-Princess is now a tomboy.

Sakura wasn't fond of the fact that she had to spend the next hour in that gigantic room filled with books. Although she did get good grades and high scores, reading was never her hobby. She only learned when exams were near. However, she had made Neji promise to give her a study date to help her with her grades. The exams aren't for another two months, but she could surely use some help.

What the pink-haired tomboy also didn't like about the library is that you can't speak too loudly. If she gasped when she read an amazing fact people would rudely 'shush' at her. She was _born _to be a loud person, expecially with a naturally loud voice.

Sakura stopped in front of the library doors. On the transparent door, were printed words that said in capital letters, '_LIBRARY'._

She pushed the door open and a small bell tinkled. The librarian behind the conuter looked up from her glasses to see who had entered, and the tomboy could see her brown eyes showing slight surprise, probably at the sight of Sakura's change.

Sakura examined the library first before she agreed to put her bag down. When her pale-green eyes saw Neji, calmly seated at one of the tables she put her gray bag down on the floor of the entrance and walked over to the grey-eyed boy. He was reading a book which the title wasn't that visible to her. She arrived at the table he was seated at, and, with a grin, she pat him at the back.

"Hello there, smarty pants!" Sakura greeted rather loudly, and the other students at the library turned their attention towards her. The librarian scowled at her and put one finger on her lips, "Sssshhh! People are trying to read, Haruno!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and retorted, "Shut up, old hag. I just came here to take care of my studies." The tomboy watched as the librarian's eyebrows drew together in rage, but then she refused to argue back and sat down to do her work. Satisfied, the pink-haired girl took a seat next to Neji.

"Haruno, I'm glad—I mean, I'm surprised to see you here," Neji blushed slightly at his accidental mistake, "Er…what subject would you like to get started on?"

"You can call me Sakura-kun, Neji," The tomboy said, smiling, but pretended not to notice a blush on Neji's face, "You know, I won't miss a study date because grades are important to me, too. Anyway, I want to start with mathematics." Sakura's eyes were full of disgust, "I hate learning those numbers."

"You know, Sakura-kun, math is pretty easy, beause all you need to know is what the question wants and how to solve it." Neji's serious voice informed and slowed down at the sound of Sakura's name, "You need to know the formula."

"Bla bla bla…cut the chit-chat!" Sakura interrupted before Neji could say more. She looked around and saw that the guy next to her was reading a book about math, so she took it and interrupted the boy's reading. "Ha…here we go! You're going to teach me this!"

The handsome brunette smirked and folded his arms, "First, I want you to try this yourself."

He watched as Sakura read the question. Her face turned from confident to confused. Her hand started scribbling on the nearby paper. A few minutes later, she was too furious that she couldn't solve the problem she accidentally broke Neji's wooden pencil.

Neji put his hand on Sakura's wrist which is holding the pencil. He blushed faintly to realize he was holding her hand, but nonetheless, he turned back his attention toward teaching the clueless girl. He thought her a few formulas and explained what the question wanted. He continued teaching her for the next hour.

How he longed for her exotic, pretty eyes to look into his. He was surprised that he had feelings for the tomboy ever since she changed. He never thought that rude, boisterous and aggressive girls were the type of girls he would go for. Or maybe it was her natural stunning beauty that has caught his interest.

Either way, he knew that Sakura might be looking for the guy who had saved her life that day her parents died. It was just last two weeks, anyway. He wondered if Sakura was still heartbroken and stressed over the loss of her only family. Neji watched the accident with his eyes wide-open, and her saviour was tall, muscular, strong and fast. He was wearing a hood over his head because of the ratherly cold weather.

"Sakura-kun…" Neji whispered unintentionally, but Sakura was so close to him she realized. Her long eyelashes did not block the view of her sparkling emerald eyes looking up at him. "Yes, Neji?"

"Are you…looking for the man who saved you?"

He heard silence from his love. Her eyes were looking at the book, and her mouth was in a slight frown. He panicked on the inside. '_Oh shit, what have I done?!' _he cursed himself, '_I've reminded her of a bad memory!'_

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am. You know who he is?"

Neji did not answer. The tomboy didn't seem to care and the lovestruck boy could sense her sad aura. He was startled as he heard her hair being pushed and she got up, her mouth in a straight line. "Thank you, Neji. I guess that's enough problem-solving for today…" She walked away, "I'll see you later."

"No, wait!" Neji exclaimed, his hand automatically grasped her forearm to stop her. Sakura looked at him in slight surprise with her eyebrow raised. He blushed and shyly asked, "Sakura-kun, would you…er…like to…go to the park with me this Saturday?"

Sakura thought about it for a while with a smile on her face, brightening Neji's feeling of stress. "Hmm…I guess I could. But we'll see first, though." She grinned, "I don't know if I might have plans or something. I guess I could confirm on Friday?"

Neji nodded happily with a smile. He watched her walk out of the library and he mentally grinned with self-satisfaction. '_Oh, accept my invitation, Sakura,' _he thought to himself, _'If she does, I just won myself a date!'_

…

_.._

_._

_And as the time goes by_

_I will always be_

_In a club with you in_

_1973_

_Singing _

"_Here…we go…again…"_

_._

_.._

…

She was exhausted.

She was so _damned _tired she could faint. '_Oh, what the hell happened until I became this tired?' _Sakura thought to herself sleepily as she packed her bag for the sleepover at Konan's house tonight.

Sakura was half-asleep when she was driving toward the next neighbourhood to get the Konan's house. She was lucky that she realized the oncoming car and braked. If not, she would've been in the hospital. The tomboy parked in front of her friend's house and locked her bike securely before knocking on the door with a big yawn.

Nobody answered.

Her hooded eyes detected that there was a note stuck onto the door. She picked it up and read it.

'_Dear Sakura,_

_I have to go send Pein to the hospital! The doctor called a while ago and asked us to come immediately. Well, because of this, nobody's at the house right now. Every other Akatsuki member is running some personal errands, so you may enter the house and try looking for my room. _

_From, Konan.'_

Sakura scratched her head and entered the house without further ado. What she saw was a simple big room that fit the clean kitchen and a huge dining table, and the sofa was on her left. There were several doors on the left side of the room, so Sakura headed towards there.

She was too tired she nearly fainted. Dumping her bag on the floor of the bedroom she was in, she plopped onto the bed and immeditely went to sleep.

She didn't care whose bed it was. She was _so _tired.

**.**

The quiet peaceful night in the unoccupied main room was detroyed by the sound of the door bursting open. The silver-haired man entered, grunting, mumbling and complaining to himself as he shut the door with a loud bang. He looked around to see that he was alone in the house.

"Urgh, I bet all those fucking members are still out doing their shitty errands," Hidan remarked, tired as he ahd been out since school ended, "And I didn't get to eat a fucking thing, too. Curse my schedule. It's full of fucking _shit."_

Hidan kicked his bedroom door open and jumped onto the bed, facing the wall on his right. "Argh, to think that that stupid Miss Kurenai gave me some fucking projects," he said, "That'll be a _great _way to piss me off _and _waste my fucking time. What a whore."

He rolled over to his left with his eyes closed to get more comfartable to go to sleep. Suddenly he felt hot breath against his nose. He opened his purple eyes and nearly died of shocked when he saw that he was face to face with someone else in his bed. "WHAT THE F—"

He managed to silence himself before he could shout out the last word. He relaxed himself and studied the person on his bed. He was wearing a buttoned shirt and jeans with a red and black belt, but he had _pink hair. _Hidan's eyes were written with shock and amusement. '_Hey, it's that rude bitch, Sakura.'_

He watched her sleep and he did nothing. She breathed slowly and steadily, and his beautiful ameythist eyes kept examining her every move. Hidan unconciously brushed away a lock of hair and tucked it behind her ear. He didn't remember what colour her eyes were.

'_Damn, she's pretty hot for a bastard,' _Hidan thought, longing to get her eyes open to speak to her, _'I can't fucking believe I forgot that shitty color of her eyes. What fucking color were they? Blue? Shit-colored?'_

He noticed her beauty. That was one thing he can't deny. He would see her eat alone at the back of school during recess, and sometimes act rude in front of a few teachers. He somehow was impressed by her aggressive attidute. Definitely he was looking for these kinds of girls.

Hidan moved his face closer to hers, and he could feel her hot breath on his skin. She was attracting him like a magnet. What was it about her that he was so interested in? He never felt this feeling when he had those other girls with him.

He felt his lips press against hers. They were so soft and moist, unlike the other girls which he had kissed before. Their lips were dry and rough, unlike the tomboy's. He started enjoying the kiss and he realized that the tomboy seemed like a heavy sleeper. She isn't realizing that the kiss is her first.

He heard a gasp. He opened his eyes and saw the pale-green exotic color he didn't even know existed. He was thinking about how beautiful her eyes were until he felt an unbearable pain on his jaw as the kiss was broken off.

Apparently, the tomboy had punched him.

He was knocked off the bed and he landed with a thud. He got up slowly and spat out some blood. He stared at the drops of his blood on the floor. '_Man, that bitch can really punch!' _he thought with a smirk on his face and turned toward the blushing girl that was starting to realize what had just happened, '_I like this sassy bitch!'_

"What the fuck? You bastard!" Sakura exclaimed with anger, shock and embarrassment as she realized Hidan had stolen her first kiss. With her face half-red, she got off the bed and punched Hidan again, making him spit out a few more drops of blood.

He didn't punch her back. "You know, _Sakura-chan," _His voice turned seductive and he licked his lips, his hand held Sakura's chin and he whispered to her ear, "Your lips are _delicious." _He slipped his hand around her waist.

Sakura shoved him off and ran out the room after grabbing her bag of clothes. The door slammed hard, and with a bored face, he sighed, "Man, just when I was starting to have some fun with the newest girl of my fuckin' dreams."

He stared at the wall. He had just kissed the whore which he hated so much only two weeks ago. His heart beat fast as he thought of her exquisite face blushing. She was so cute. She was too abashed of the fact he had just kissed her.

Then he remembered something.

_Was that her first kiss?_

Hidan continued thinking for awhile until he came to a conclusion.

_No, it can't be. She's too pretty for that to be true._

Hidan slapped his palm on his forehead as he can't believe what he had just confessed to himself, '_Damn it! She really __**is **__pretty,'_

…

_.._

_._

_Sweet __**dreams**_

_On a beautiful __**nightmare**_

_Somebody pinch me_

_Your love's too good to be true_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: **More NejiSaku, huh? Well, guess what? What about ShikaSaku vs KibaSaku in the next chapter? Hehe! xD

Reviews=Love=Author's Inspiration=Faster Updates


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: **6, 683

**Summary: **From a girly girl known for her bossiness to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents' astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Did this transformation attract not only the Akatsuki, but her crush AND nearly all the boys in school? Yes, it did. But a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthral.

From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku

**A/N: **To my 62nd reviewer, **Mavaline **who said my story is awful and stupid, I will have to say that I will still respect your opinion on my story and try harder to improve. However, I **will not **follow your advice to stop writing this story altogether, although you say it has no hope. I still have some readers out there and I love this story, so everyone can be damned sure I'll finish it. Nobody's perfect, that's why my story has "very stupid, not easy to miss, mistakes". And since, you say that you have no interest in my story, I do not expect another review from you. (P.S. It says you only read the first chapter. You didn't read the other three and you already called my story horrible? Don't you call that jumping to conclusions?)

Oh yeah, this chapter is not checked by a beta reader, so expect mistakes. (I'm not that patient kind of person."

To other fans that make my life feel exciting, continue reading.

…

_.._

_._

_My guilty pleasure_

_I ain't going nowhere_

_Baby as long as you're here_

_I'll be blowing your hair_

_._

_.._

…

She remembered the time she slammed the door shut.

She stil remembered how weak she felt as she dropped to her knees and then to the floor, tired and flushed. It was then when she finally got a hold of herself she was so angry she was at a loss of what to do. Still too embarassed to confront the perpetrator, she shouted angrily and punched the pillows in the room, tossing them around.

When she was done with her tantrum, she fell onto the fluffy, white and frilly bed that was decorated with teddy bears. She inhaled deeply and counted to eight before realeasing her breath, and her beautiful pale-green eyes continued to stare at the wall. The celing was pink…not just any pink, but that pastel pink color that reminded Sakura of her mother.

Her mother was tall, smart and beautiful with hair as pink as Sakura's with magnificent blue eyes. Not only was she a natural expert in sickness and healing, had she also been the best doctor in the neighbourhood. Because of her success, she frequently went on trips to treat patients from overseas, and this caused for Sakura to hardly spend time with her mother.

She was close to her father, of course, who was a successful businessman. Maybe that would explain Sakura's naturally boyish attidute.

After an hour of pondering a knock on Konan's bedroom door was heard and the blue-haired beauty stepped in. Sakura had decided it would be better to not tell her friend about the incident that had costed her first kiss. The tomboy concluded that it would be better to take matters to her own hands.

For the rest of the night, Sakura was given the chance to act like a real girl with her best friend. The two painted their nails in different colors before starting a pillow fight. Not long after, they watched Korean drama on the Internet and cried their hearts out. No longer they decided to annoy the hell out of the male members as they filled up water balloons and ambushed them.

They searched Konan's drawer and wore crazy clothes, mimicing the biggest celebrities and putting on weird makeup. Konan thought her pink-haired friend how to wear lipstick, put on perfume and pick the perfect clothes for the perfect day based on the situation. No sooner than that they were dancing in the dark and taking pictures of the boys that were sound asleep. Some of the pictures were funny enough to make Sakura think she could die of laughter.

Around 3 in the morning, the girls snuck out of the small house and rode Sakura's bike to the nearest bar, getting drunk until they came back toward Konan's home at 5, watching comedies on TV and laughed their heads off before passing out on the couch.

Whether she realized it or not, Sakura had declared it as one of the best nights of her life.

…

_.._

_._

_Don't stop, make it pop_

_DJ, boom my speakers up!_

_Tonight, Imma fight, 'till we see the sun-light_

_Tik Tok, on the clock_

_But the party don't stop, no_

_._

_.._

…

"Holy shit!" Sakura exclaimed as she glanced at the wall clock. She fell onto the floor with a thud, and rubbing the back of her head, she rushed to the armchair to where Konan was sleeping with her hair in a mess with a bottle of sake in her hand, "Yo, Konan-san, get the hell up! You're the prefect, aren't ya? Get up! Tsunade would beat the shit out of you if you're not at school!"

Konan woke up in a flash, and undressed to her underwear right in the living room before grabbing a towel and running toward the bathroom. Three minutes in the shower, she rushed into her room and came out buttoning on her shirt with her vest draped over her arm. Her bag was slung over her shoulder and she opened the fridge, grabbing something. "See ya, Sakura-kun!" She said, tripping over her high heels last night before wearing her shoes with her socks in her bag.

The door slammed shut and Sakura wasn't even given the chance to say goodbye back. But in 2 seconds, the door opened again and Konan's head popped in, "Hey girl, do me a favour, will ya? Cook breakfast for the boys! Thanks, love you, bye!"

And the door slammed…again.

The tomboy got up, giggling to herself as she headed toward Konan's room to take a bath. After doing so she put on her boy uniform and grabbed her small bag, dumping it on the kitchen counter. She rolled up her sleeves and started cooking. Although she wasn't the best when it comes to cooking, her parents' absence when they were working thought her how to be independent. She learned how to cook when she was 7.

"My oh my, what do we have here?" A deep, familiar voice spoke and the tomboy heard someone pull out a chair from the dining table. She turned around and smiled to see Kisame licking his lips, "Oh, so you're cooking the breakfast today, shrimp? I guess Konan's at school, then."

Just then, another familiar voice spoke with a hint of surprise, "Hm? Pinky, is that you, yeah?" Deidara appeared with his eyes wide, his golden hair untied and in disarray as he sat next to the blue-skinned man, "Man, I didn't expect such a pleasant surprise so early in the morning, yeah! Mind if you feed me, pinky?"

Sakura laughed and continued to cook the pancakes. "I _might_ be feeding you, Dei-kun. But who knows? There's a 99.9% chance I'm not going to!"

She heard a chuckle from behind her, "I know that, pinky. But remember, there's _still _that 00.1% chance!"

She laughed again. Do these boys ever fail to brighten her mornings? Suddenly she heard someone approach her, so she turned around to see Kakuzu heading towards the fridge. She smiled at him ever so sweetly, "Good morning, Kakuzu, I didn't expect you to be up early. You got a job, then?"

Kakuzu scowled at her and grunted, "I _steal _from others, idiot. So shut up, and you better be as good at cooking as Konan, because I'm not eating anything that tastes like shit." Sasori who had entered earlier and decided to not talk to the pink-haired tomboy heard this and he chuckled.

"I'm a pretty good cook, old man!" Sakura retorted, kicking the tall man at his shin. He ignored it, although the slight pain, and took a seat. Suddenly as the syrup was being poured onto the pancakes, the peaceful morning was destroyed as one of the doors was slammed shut and someone came in, loudly yawning.

"Argh, what the fuck smells so fucking good?" Hidan's boisterous voice spoke out, and he spotted Sakura preparing the food at the counter, "Oh my Jashin! It's that hot bitch! Damn, if those pancakes taste good, that whore's definitely more than what I'm eating."

Hidan took a seat next to Kakuzu and ogled at the tomboy, much to her annoyance. She served her food, pancakes with syrup. But each pancake's syrup had a different pattern or picture. Kakuzu's pancake was the picture of a smiley face, much to his annoyance. Deidara's had a picture of a heart, Kisame's had a children's drawing of a fish, Sasori's pancake and Hidan's one had message's on them.

You wouldn't want to know what Sasori's pancake said. '_DID ANYONE EVER TELL YOU THAT YOU LOOK REALLY GAY?'_

Hidan's one, '_FUCK OFF, MOTHAFUCKER!' _Either way, Sakura was slightly surprised to see Hidan smirking at the words on his pancake.

Sakura was satisfied with her work and continued to eat her meal, but did not fail to realize that there were still some people missing. "Hey, I know that Konan-san ain't here, but where's Pein, Madara, Itachi and Zetsu?" She asked with her mouth full of food.

"The leader is at the hospital," Sasori replied, making Sakura shocked, but he was still irritated at the words on his breakfast, "Itachi Uchiha and Madara Uchiha do not live with us, and Zetsu is either still asleep in his room or has already gone off to school."

"If he already went to school, that would suck," Sakura frowned, "Because I drew a flower on his pancake. I heard he likes gardening, so is that true?"

"Everyone has a specialty, pinky," Deidara said, cutting his pancake into a small slice, "Say, this thing is 10 times better than Konan's, yeah! But I'm sure it'll taste _so _much better if you fed me, yeah…" He stared at her with his azure eyes and a smirk on his face. Sakura shook her head with a smile.

"Man, did you know girls at school say your smirk melts their hearts?" Sakura giggled and the people at the table seemed to show sudden interest, "Well, not like it's enough to win _me, _of course."

"Hey, shrimp; got any hot gossip you could share with us guys?" Kisame asked; a grin on his face as Sakura smiled. "_Please_, shrimp? I'll promise to bring you out for lunch this afternoon if you say so!"

"I would tell you without a reward, so no need for that treat, Kisame," Sakura laughed, and could sense that everyone at the table—including that stingy Kakuzu, was listening. She could hardly believe that even Hidan shut his mouth up to listen to her. Either way, as promised, she told them about all the gossip she's heard from that gossip machine, Ino that sits in front of her. Some gossips made the boys laugh.

"Hey boys, time to go to school!" Sakura exclaimed as the clock had struck 7.20 in the morning. "Dei-kun, do you mind sending me to school? Just ride my bike and I'll hop on behind you. I feel a bit sleepy."

"Anything for my princess," Deidara smiled attractively, ignoring Hidan and Kisame's glares and getting onto Sakura's shiny black bike before wearing the gloves. At this time, the only ones in the house were Kakuzu and Kisame. The rest were already at the front yard, putting on their shoes to get ready to walk to school. Before he put his helmet on, Deidara smirked, "Hey, Hidan, too bad for you! I'm the lucky one that's sending this hottie to school!"

Sakura laughed as she hugged Deidara from behind and her motorcycle's engine started. As they drove off, Hidan ran after them, shouting, "I'll get you, Barbie! I'll _own _that hot ass one day!"

Hearing his declare, Sakura turned around and shouted, "In your dreams, _ass_hole!"

She heard Deidara laugh from under his helmet. "Good one, pinky."

_._

Sakura nearly fell asleep until suddenly the loud ring of the bell gave her a wake-up call. She was startled by the loud sound, and saw that the teacher for the period, Kakashi, closed the book in his hands and stood up.

As the other students stood up to say goodbye to him, Sakura didn't feel like getting up. Although the grey-haired man realized it, he did not react and walked out of the class as the students got ready for reccess.

Sakura pushed herself off of her table and walked straight out her classroom door and raced down the flight of stairs toward the canteen. The cafeteria would be crowded if Sakura ambled there, so she needed to hurry up, buy some food, and rush to the back if the school to where she regularly ate ever since her change.

She reached the canteen and dug her pockets, but was shocked to realize that her pocket was empty. _'Oh shit, where the hell is my wallet?' _Sakura wondered to herself angrily, leaving the cafeteria in frustration and heading towards the back of her school, '_Argh, I must've dropped it when I was walking out of the classroom! I bet one of my dishonest classmates already found it and took all the money in there. Damn it!'_

She sat alone at the back of her school, enjoying the shade it provided and also the peace and quiet of it. However, her stomach grumbled. Sakura winced at the pain. '_Man, what the heck happened to all the breakfast this morning?'_

She was so busy thinking about the pain that she didn't realize someone had appeared near her. "Hey, are you Sakura Haruno? I…er…think this belongs to you."

The pink-haired girl was startled as she looked up to see who had said her name. In her sight, the closest thing to her face was her wallet, making her heart leap in happiness. The next thing she saw was her classmate, Shikamaru Nara, holding the wallet toward her.

Oh, she had never felt so elated. "Thank you, Shikamaru." She smiled at him after she received it. But she wasn't disappointed to see that the wallet was now empty. She frowned and said, "Hah, figures. I knew that someone found it first and took all of my crap. Now I'm going to starve for the rest of the day."

Her pale-green exotic eyes watched Shikamaru scratch the back of his head as if he was hesitating to do something. The tomboy realized he was holding a tupperware behind his back, and he slowly presented it to her. "Um, would you like to share the food with me?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows in surprise as she didn't expect that to happen. She looked straight into Shikamaru's eyes. He wasn't blushing, and he didn't seem shy. He just seemed…sorry for her and wanted to be friends with her. Smiling as sweetly as she can, she reached for the tupperware and opened it. "Thanks, that's very kind of you."

She took out a triangular piece of bread and took a bite. She had to admit; whoever made the food in his tupperware was actually pretty good. She heard Shikamaru sit down beside her. "Hey, does it taste good? I prepared it myself, you know." The emerald-eyed girl turned to him to see he had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"I wouldn't say no," Sakura agreed, pushing his face away to get rid of his weird smirk that was riling her, "But you're joking, right? Don't tell me that you made this yourself? I thought you were some smartass that's a lazy bum. I heard you're too lazy to even prove you're smarter than Neji."

"To me, life is a drag, and I would grab every chance I get if it means I could relax for it," The Nara heir answered quickly but with a great hint of laziness in his voice. "And I'm not lying that I made this myself. I'm independent, too, you know."

The tomboy continued to munch on her food, not suspecting that the lazy genius stole her money. But she realized that he was looking at her a lot. She started to feel uncomfortable. But as she was about to get up and thank him for his kindness, Shikamaru asked with surprise and disbelief, "Why are your fingernails _painted?"_

Both of the pink-haired girl's eyebrows were raised in surprise, "What do you mean 'painted'? I don't—"

Sakura looked down to her fingernails and was shocked to see each nail had a different color. Apparently, last night's nail polish hasn't vanished yet. It was quite surprising that she hadn't noticed it all morning. Oh, she wondered what the members eating breakfast at the table were wondering how she got her nails coloured. The little finger on her right hand was pink. How humiliating.

"Oh, _these _nails polish…" Sakura struggled to find the right words, and she stuttered, "I, uh, decided to experiment with…um…Konan's nail polish."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in suspicious and nodded slowly, "Uh-huh, and you're telling me that Konan didn't notice at all? When did that polish come on, anyway?"

"Er…last night…?" Sakura answered nervously and noticed Shikamaru's skeptical look. It was then she realized something and jabbed a finger in his face. "Wait a minute! Why on earth would _you _care? It's not like it's any of your business!"

"Sorry to spoil your fantasies, but it _is _almost some of my business," A smirk played on the black-haired boy's face, making Sakura slightly nervous. But she was shocked as she heard him say, "I wonder…what were you and Konan doing in my favorite bar at 2 in the morning?"

Oh, that hit her right at the face. She was speechless as she remembered that she had 5 good, big bottles of sake…or maybe more. Oh, she was damned drunk she wasn't supposed to be driving that motorcycle. "What the fuck, you were there?!" Sakura exclaimed with utter shock as Shikamaru smirked. Damn, the tomboy wanted to punch him. "Argh, whatever, Nara! Just, don't tell anyone!"

The brown-eyed boy yawned and laid against the wall as he looked bored. He folded his arms and Sakura knew what he was asking for. She put her hands together and pleaded reluctantly, "_Please?"_

Oh, he made her say that 'P' word. After hearing what she said, Shikamaru looked up at her and said, "Of course, but to keep my mouth shut, you can go with me to the park this Saturday."

"That's nearly like a threat, idiot," Sakura snarled, remembering Neji's offer to the same place same day, "If I refuse and you tell the whole school _and _Konan gets fired as a prefect, get ready as I tell the gossiping machines that you're a sot in your 'favourite' bar."

It was her turn to smirk as Shikamaru went pale. After some silence and some pretty good thinking, the handsome yet lazy boy looked away and said, "Fine, fine, you win! I'll keep quiet about your secret as long as you shut up about mine."

"Good!" Sakura smiled happily, but by the time she stopped smiling she noticed the boy was gaping. Pretending she didn't notice his open-mouthed stare, she cracked her knuckles loud enough for him to snap back to reality. "Hey, if you break that promise, expect a broken jaw."

With that she smiled brightly again and walked away. Shikamaru watched her go, but she stopped halfway and looked over her shoulder with a grin, her jade-coloured eyes were twinkling with gratefulness, "Hey, thanks, Shika! I'll see you around."

Her pale-green eyes matched her pastel pink hair. She had an angelic yet tough voice that seemed fascinating to the Nara heir. Although her hair was shorter than any other girl in the school, that length really made looked more…exotic. It suited her a lot, frankly. Her eyes shone brighter than the sun and when she smiled ever so brightly after knowing she won the conversation, he couldn't help but stare in astonishment. The way she flipped her hair when she looked over her shoulder caught his heart.

By the time she left, he was lovestruck.

…

_.._

_._

_Now,_

_L-O-V-E's just another word I never learned to pronounce _

_How, _

_Do I say I'm sorry cause the word is never gonna come out_

_._

_.._

…

Konan hopped off Sakura's bike and waved goodbye to her best friend, shouting, "Thanks for sending me home, Sakura-kun!"

When the black bike blended into the darkness of the night, Konan turned around and headed towards her the front door. Ever since she came back from school, she's been dragging Sakura all over town to get some groceries. Because of this, the whole thing costed nearly the whole day, so Konan was still in her uniform although it's already 8 at night.

She reached the door and opened it, smiling as she saw Pein on the sofa. "Hello there, leader. I see you're back from the hospital. What did the doctor say?" Pein nodded and quietly replied, "He said it will take maximum 2 weeks for me to get better." Konan smiled at his answer.

She noticed that all the other members, including Madara and Itachi, were crowding Deidara that was holding his camera at the dining table. Zetsu wasn't there, strangely. He must be in his orchard. But, it seems like they were watching something. Curious, the blue-haired beauty walked up to them. "What are you guys doing?"

Before she got a chance to even get close to them, Sasori stopped her. "Konan, what the _hell _did you and that little girl do last night?" Konan went stiff.

"What do you mean!?" Konan barked rather aggressively than her normal nature, making Sasori flinch. Konan can go berserk when she finds out about perverts and eavesdroppers, "Were you perverts _spying _on us or something?!"

"No, we weren't spying and we are _not _perverts," Deidara answered calmly, only 10% of his attention is toward Konan while the other percent was concentrated toward the camera, "Some _idiot _playing with my camera—" Deidara's steel blue eyes gestured Hidan who smiled childishly, "He left my camera on at its video mode and placed it on the table of our living room for 8 fucking hours."

Konan looked over her shoulder to see that, from where the table was, she could tell that the camera had a full view of the living room and her bedroom. Man, she was so screwed…she and Sakura went out to a bar and got drunk before sleeping on the sofa. None of the men knew about Sakura's arrival at the house except Hidan because she locked herself in Konan's room the whole night.

When the girls went out to get drunk, nobody knew either. They were talented at sneaking out without making a sound, and when they got home from the bar the girls collapsed on the sofa. Of course, everyone thought they slept in Konan's room because the girls got up earlier than them, so none of the boys saw them passed out in the living room.

But she hadn't noticed the camera.

_Shit._

"Konan, this morning after you went to school," Pein uttered, making Konan turn toward him, "I came back from the hospital and I was surprised to see two, _big _and expensive bottles of sake in the living room. One bottle was on the floor and the other one was on the armchair. They were both empty."

"In the video," Itachi said audibly, rather interrupting Pein before he could say any further, "We saw that you girls snuck out at 2.32 in the morning and came back approximately 5.45 in the morning, Sakura slept on the floor while you slept on the armchair with your legs draped over the arm of it."

Konan was just about to argue until she heard Madara chuckle. "Did Sakura-chan get as drunk as you?"

"I had…5 good bottles," Konan replied quickly, showing some protest, "But Sakura had 10 bottles, and I'm not sure if she knew she might've killed herself…"

"What a shame," Kakuzu added her humiliation, "The best female prefect and a senior actually went and got drunk. You would get fired from your job if the headmistress knows about this."

Konan blushed. Lazily, she pulled out a chair from the table and sat on it, "Argh, you guys don't know anything about my stressful life! _Who cares_ if I get wasted once in a while? It's not like I will grow up to be a sot or something."

"That's what I heard Tsunade say when she was young," Kisame mumbled, making a silly grin play on Konan's face. The blue-skinned man admonished, "Don't end up like you irresponsible headmistress. I see her at my favourite bar nearly every night."

"Good thing you two sluts didn't get drunk enough to kiss each other," Hidan suddenly chimed in with a neutral face, shocking Konan. "But you bitches _still _got drunk! That pink whore isn't grateful for what I done to her. I saved her future…" The rest of the sentence was indistinct mumbles.

The amber-eyed beauty was so shocked and embarassed by Hidan's remark that she automatically punched him, ultimately shocking the other males in the room. The silver-haired Jashinist took a few steps back, covering his bleeding nose with his hand. "What the fuck, you whore!"

Konan still had a faint blush on her face, but all of a sudden the sentence Hidan had said before she punched him came back to her mind. Some of the words were sensitive to her. She watched as Hidan got a tissue as Deidara and Sasori snickered at his lame attempt to clean his nose.

That was when Konan popped the question. "What do you mean?"

All eyes turned toward the blue-haired girl. Hidan, who was at the sink, turned around to face her and saw that the question, was meant for him. "What the fuck are you looking at me for?"

"What do you mean Sakura wasn't grateful for what you've done to her?" Konan asked, her eyebrows were knitted together in suspicion. It can't possibly be Hidan who saved Sakura, right? It took a while before the awkward silence was broken by Konan's nervous attempt to clear her throat and get the question out. "D-Did you…save Sakura?"

Well, that definitely caught everyone's attention completely. Pein pushed himself of the sofa and stood next to Itachi that was leaning against the wall. Even the stoic ones seemed interested. Konan heard someone chuckle as if he didn't believe Hidan saved her.

Hidan seemed to hesitatingly answer. Finally, he answered with scorn in his amethyst-coloured eyes. "You don't have to know, bitch. I'm not gonna give you a fucking answer."

"You can't _possibly _be pinky's so-called hero!" Deidara argued, getting off his chair and his azure eyes seemed rather angry, "Even if you were, do you think she'll accept it?!"

"Be queit, you two," Pein stopped Deidara before he could angrily punch the silver-haired man. "I don't want any fights tonight. I'm tired and just came back from the hospital, and I'm still sick so that means I get easily angry. If you want to argue about the insolent girl, take it outside."

From behind Pein, Hidan stuck out his tongue at Deidara, making the blond, feminine-looking man scowl. Although Pein didn't see the lilac-eyed man's puerile behaviour, Kakuzu did and that merited Hidan a punch on the cheek.

It was then all members went to their separate rooms, except Itachi and Madara who lived in a different house. Konan and the other two boys sat at the living room. "I pity Sakura-kun," Konan said, her eyes showed great dedication, "I want to do everything I could do to help her find that man who saved her."

"You're immature, Konan," Itachi said coldly, making the blue-haired girl feel discouraged, "If you want to help, you need to know _how. _Your busy schedule is keeping you from this. You don't even have time to go spend time with Sakura."

"You're rather rude, Itachi," Madara smirked, scooting a little further away from Konan, "But when there's a will, there's a way, am I right?" His crimson eyes that had a hint of challenge met with Konan's amber ones. "Follow your instincts, my dear."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Konan said, smirking back as if Madara had unexpectantly given her an idea, "My instincts say the saviour is someone Sakura knows."

"Really?" Itachi said, his face was as neutral as ever showing no emotion, but his voice had a hint of surprise. "Actually, I was thinking the same way. But with that girl's amiable attidute, I think a lot of people know her."

"She was a girly bitch when she was saved, idiot," Konan shook her head and sighed. It was a long, frustrated and puzzled sigh. "Many people hated her back then, and the juniors are a bunch of scardy cats! I think it was someone her age or slightly older that was either kind or foolish enoughto save her."

"Why not you get some rest, Konan?" Madara suddenly said with a small smirk on his face, pushing himself off the sofa and patting Itachi's shoulder. "Thinking too hard causes stress. Come on, nephew, let Konan relax. We're running a bit late, don't you think?"

"Hn." Itachi obeyed his uncle's orders to get up and he headed straight toward the door.

As the door was just about to close, Konan heard Itachi's stoic voice say, "Good luck, Konan."

The way Itachi said it sounded…challenging. Was he underestimating her? Did he think that she could never find her best friend's saviour? She is the _smartest girl in the school _for God's sake! She can find out who saved Sakura.

And there was no doubt in Konan's mind that she will _definitely_ find him.

_..._

_.._

_._

_As said earlier—Luck favours the Brave._

_._

_.._

…

Yet, _another _boring day at school.

All teachers gave out some homework and some assignments, but Sakura didn't even bother to write down the notes. She doesn't know what's happening, but a powerful feeling of sadness, anger and frustration is starting to overpower her.

She tried hard to blink back hot tears in class without anyone noticing.

The tomboy threw her bag onto the bench before joining it. She watched students walk side-by-side as they chatter their way out of the school gate. Sakura had her own bike and she can go home at any time she wanted. For some reason, it felt as though she didn't want to step into her house right now.

**Something bad will happen, **her inner-self suddenly said, a hint of worry in her voice, **But, not as bad as what happened to your parents…just, heartbreaking.**

Sakura was just about to ponder about her sadness until she felt something bounce off her leg. The pink-haired girl looked down to see what hit her, and saw a small, orange ball. Picking it up, she looked around, wondering what direction it had came from.

Her questions were only half-answered when she suddenly heard the barking of a small white puppy running towards her. The sight of the young canine brightened her spirits because the white dog was so _cute. _She couldn't help but smile. Although she was boyish, she can't stop her natural girly nature to be happy when seeing things that are naturally adorable.

She squatted, patting the cheerful white puppy on the head with a big grin, "Well, hello there, cutie! Why are you here?" She noticed the dog bark toward the orange ball she was holding. She got a hint that he was playing with it and she was interrupting. "Oh, you're here for the ball?" She got up, and threw it toward the direction from where it came from. "Go get it, boy!"

She watched as the white canine energetically ran toward the ball, leaping high in the air to catch the squishy orange ball between its sharp teeth. It ran back toward her, dropping the ball onto the floor, and the tomboy squatted again. "You're such a good boy! Yes you are! But I guess you could run a bit faster, don't you think?"

The jade-eyed girl was just about to throw the ball again until suddenlyshe felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a boy with brown messy hair and black eyes. It was one of her classmates, Kiba Inuzuka.

"What do you think you're doing?" The brown-haired boy suddenly said, somewhat angrily. Sakura was stunned by his sudden anger and she dropped the ball before breaking her wrist free of the Inuzuka's grasp. "You can't just go around playing with people's dogs without permission."

"I-I'm sorry, I…I, uh…" Sakura stammered, slightly frightened. She took a few steps away from him, but then a voice in her head made her come back to her senses. "Wait, what's wrong with me playing with your dog?!" Sakura argued with the same hint of anger in her voice.

The anger in Kiba's dark eyes disappeared instantly when he heard Sakura's rough reply. "You interrupted our game," he said softly as if he was carefully choosing his words. "And it seems like Akamaru likes to play with you. I just—think that's unfair."

Sakura couldn't help but notice Kiba's faint blush as he said some words that made him seem so…_childish. _She had to stifle her giggles to not mortify him, so she just smiled, "I see, jealousy, eh?" She giggled a bit, failing to prevent them, "I wasn't really planning to play with it, anyway. What's your dog's name? Akamaru?"

Kiba nodded.

"Anyway, thanks for letting me play with him for a while, even if it was just a few minutes," Sakura grinned at him, one hand in her pocket while the other handing out the orange ball she had picked up. "Akamaru's one heck of a dog…" Her voice softened, "Really brightened up my day."

She was about to turn around and walk away until Kiba's hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her. She turned around, her pale-green eyes wondering why he had abruptly halted her. "Er…Sakura-chan, I'm sorry for being harsh at you at the start…"

Sakura made a smile that assured him she was fine.

"If you want, you can come over to my house and we can play with Akamaru together," Kiba suggested, shocking Sakura throughly. Although her face didn't show it, she didn't expect that to come out his mouth. Was he really that sorry?

"You can come on Saturday evening," he continued, his face seemed like he was pleading for her to accept, "I…er…" He coughed, "We could be friends."

Somehow, Sakura felt encouraged to hear those words. A friend was definitely someone she needed, although they might not be as close as she might expect them to be. Sakura wanted to accept, thinking that she could push off Neji's invitation to the park.

"Okay, I'm free," Sakura accepted with a smile on her face as Kiba…blushed? She didn't really believe her pale-green eyes. "But I'll come at 5 o' clock, because you never know if I might have some other plans or anything."

She turned and walked away.

Kiba was left there, watching her walk away. He felt so _stupid _and _crazy _right now. Inviting his barely-known classmate to his house so suddenly? But there was something about her that interested him. The way she spoke had a mixture of cheerfulness and pain. No wonder his friend was talking non-stop about her.

He heard footsteps getting louder as they approached him from behind. "Hey, what did you ask that Haruno girl?" The Inuzuka heir turned around, surprised to see Shikamaru there, clenching his knuckles with an angry expression on his face. The Nara boy was the friend Kiba said couldn't stop babbling about Sakura.

Kiba was amused by his friend's expression. _'So, Shikamaru's jealous, eh?' _The brown-haired boy thought to himself, letting a smirk play across his face. "I asked her to come over to my house for dinner. She accepted. What's the problem?"

"You _know _that I'm trying to get her on a date with me,Kiba!" Shikamaru hissed angrily, grabbing Kiba's shirt and pulling him closer, "Are you _trying _to show to me that you can get dates better than me?"

"Yeah, got a problem?" Kiba derided him, his eyes showed challenge, making the Nara boy angrier, "Sakura doesn't show any interest in you, Shikamaru. I'm pretty sure that after me and her become friends, only _then _you will have the chance."

"What makes you think she sees you as a friend?" Shikamaru retorted, releasing his grip, "I bet she thinks you're plain crazy for inviting her. She barely knows you and thinks you're absurd."

"At least she accepted," Kiba mumbled as he straightened his shirt, "Unlike you. Why not you move on to that Temari or Ino girl? I can't guarentee that Sakura might not be available for any relationships with you.

"At first sight and you've fallen in love with her?" Shikamaru asked, staring at the Inuzuka boy incredulously.

"I can't help it. It's just like you, anyway." Kiba retorted, folding his arms. Akamaru barked cheefully, as if he was agreeing.

He heard his friend smirk. "Yeah. Irressistable, isn't she?"

_._

Sakura heard the door creak open slowly and she nearly broke down at the sight of her parents' bedroom.

She hadn't entered it ever since her parents' death and she thought that maybe it was time to clean it up, like how her mother always does it every morning. She would fold the sheets, clear out the top of the drawers, and sweep the floor.

After all of this was done, the pink-haired tomboy plopped onto the sapphire-coloured bed and stared at the ceiling. She felt slightly tired after cleaning all of _that _up. Her parents' room was messier than expected, and she thought that if she kept it clean, maybe it would be a favor for her parents.

Sakura felt rather uncomfartable lying down on the steel blue bed that strangely reminded her of Deidara's eyes. It felt as though there was something under it.

Losing her patience, the tomboy leaped off the bed and lifted the heavy mattress with one hand, while the other tried to search for anything that was causing her uneasiness that was hidden under the bed. Finally, she felt something rectangular and took it out.

She couldn't believe what she found.

It was her mother's diary.

…

_.._

_._

"_The truth hurts, doesn't it?"_

"_Will you stop rubbing it in my face?!"_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: **Okay, as you see no romantic interactions between Sakura and an Akatsuki member. That was a long chapter, don't you agree? Anyway, next chapter's couple is top secret, but it might come out a bit late, because I want to complete the second chapter of my newwest story, **Switch Of Heart. **

Here's what I want to know: what you like of the story, what you would suggest what should've happened in the chapter (e.g. more KibaSaku romance, usage/order of song lyrics) and most important, who do you think Sakura's saviour is. For those who have already given in their guesses can always re-submit their answers. Remember, the revealing chapter might be dedicated to you if you guess it right.

How else to tell me all that other than reviewing? Anonymous people can review, too.

Reviews=Love=Author's Inspiration=Faster Updates


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: **6,442

**Summary: **She wentfrom a girly girl known for her bossiness, to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents' astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Not only did this transformation attract not only the Akatsuki, but her crush and nearly all the boys in school. Oh, yes it did. But a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthrall. From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku.

**A/N: **So, thank you so much for the nice reviews and support! 3 And thank you to my beta reader, **Nonumaru **for helping me with this chapter! You amaze me, and thanks for your tips! I'll keep them in mind.

Actually I wanted to tell you all something but I forgot. Oh yeah!...wait, that's not it. AH! I talked too much, so continue reading! :D

…

_.._

_._

_Everytime you fall, it only makes your chin strong_

_._

_.._

…

"Great…a storm is picking up…" Sasori muttered with a frown plastered on his face. It was bad enough that he was forced to _walk _to the nearest shop to buy something, but now it had started to drizzle and he didn't even have an umbrella. "Now the bread I just bought will be soaked. _Shit."_

The drizzle started to get heavier, so Sasori decided to run through a shortcut he knew. However the red-head didn't use the shortcut ever since Sakura joined the Akatsuki, because in order to get to his home through the shortcut, he would be forced to pass by the pink-haired girl's domain. But this time, he would be forced to. It was an emergency and Konan would kill him if he didn't get the bread.

While getting ever nearer to the jade-eyed girl's home, a bout of nostalgia came over him. He remembered playing football on the street in front of it with Deidara and some stranger, whose face he couldn't recall. The hazel-eyed boy decided it would be better to pass by Sakura's home without taking a sideways glance.

He nearly managed to pass by the house until something fell on his foot. The drizzle became rain and Sasori stopped, not minding the thudding impact of the rain droplets, to look down at his foot to see what had hit him. He didn't know from which direction the book came flying from, so he simply picked it up.

When he opened the cover he saw the name of the owner.

Without looking any further, Sasori closed the book with a small smirk on his face. Deciding to keep it, he placed the small rectangular parcel in his small bag and continued to run toward his home.

**.**

Sakura wanted to cry, though tried hard to prevent herself from doing so. She wanted to shout every single bad word she knew. She wanted to punch something, break something, hurt something. She wanted to release her frustration, disappointment and sadness. At a loss of what to do, she slammed the door shut with a huff. The Rosette's clothes soaking wet; wet footprints leading toward the living room, where she was standing near the wall.

She punched the wall as hard as she could, not bothering to scream at the pain she felt coarsing through her veins. She punched it with her other hand, harder this time. Her eyes were looking at the floor, watching tears fall off her nose. Frustrated, she hit the wall again, thinking her wrist finally broke. Not to her knowledge, it was only bleeding.

She leaned on the wall and slid down to the floor, crying as her wet candy-coloured hair stuck to her pale skin. She felt tears streaming out of her eyes and looked at her palms. With rage, she knocked her head against the wall once.

She saw one straight line of blood run down the wall from where her large forehead was. She continued to whimper as she remembered of what she had read in her mother's diary.

The diary started from when Sakura wasn't even born yet. When her mother was a young adult, still studying on how to become a doctor. Her mother was from a rich family and had no siblings, so that meant she had most of her parents' fortune for herself. When Sakura was reading this, she wondered why she wasn't living in a mansion.

But in later entries her mother wrote about a man that surely was the Pinkette's father. Her mother fell in love with him. At some point, after a few months of hopelessly crushing on him, they became a couple.

Sakura smiled at how romantic the days were before they got married, on how they watched the sunset during dusk, and how every Monday she would receive a bouquet of flowers from Sakura's father.

But she was shocked when at least a year before she was born, Sakura's mother wrote that she had had a sexual relationship with her boyfriend. The jade-eyed girl remembered how her mother always admonished to never have sex unless you're married, if not it would cause problems.

Sakura finally reached a page that shocked her thoroughly.

'_Stuck in a situation that might cost __me__ my future,' _That's how the entry started in her mother's cursive writing. On the top of the page was written the date stating it was at least a few months before Sakura was born. _'I just realized I'm pregnant. But I'm not even married yet__. I'm__ so close to finish studying to be a doctor__…__ What should I do? Should I put the young one up for adoption?'_

At first the pink-haired girl thought that she had an older sister or brother. But the further she read, the more and more she found out the truth.

Her parents were married after her father knew that she was pregnant, and he willingly said he would take care of the baby, keeping it a secret from her parents. They went to the doctor, wanting to see if the baby was a boy or a girl. They soon received the news it would be a female. Sakura's suspicion rose as she read more and more.

'_The baby is born,' _Those words were written on a certain page, '_It was very painful delivering her, but when I finally got her into my arms, I couldn't help but smile and feel that I will love her more than anyone else in the world__. However, my parents are suspicious of why, after only two months of marriage, I already have a__daughter.__ I know that although I'll love my dear Sakura, she will be a great burden to __my husband and__I in the long run__.'_

She couldn't believe her eyes. If she was a boy, she was _clearly _a bastard that brought shame upon her mother. The doctor wrote herself that the newborn would be a great burden. Even though tears gathered in Sakura's eyes, she continued to read.

After telling her parents the truth, Sakura's mother was thrown out of her own home and was forced to move in with her father. Sakura's grandparents did not bother to give her mother a bit of their huge fortune, telling her to fend for herself instead. The tomboy knew that her grandparents were very strict when it comes to religion. Her mother was the biggest possible disgrace to them then.

And it was all because of Sakura's existence.

After reading the book, Sakura just couldn't prevent herself from rushing out the door and throwing the book as far as she could. Although there were tears, rain and hair in her eyes, she watched the book fly over the gates of her home.

Maybe that was why her mother seemed to like to keep herself busy, away from home. Why her mother always seemed irritated when Sakura tried to talk to her. Maybe it was the reason her mother was always in some unknown country. Why her mother was always angry whenever Sakura made the slightest mistakes. Her own child was nothing but a burden to her.

…

_.._

_._

_They say that true love hurts_

_Well this could almost kill me_

_Young love murder _

_That is what this must be_

_I would give it all to not be sleeping alone_

_._

_.._

…

The next day, Sakura found herself at a loss of what to do. She was so depressed that for the whole morning and afternoon she just stared at the ceiling.

When it was 4:15 in the evening, Sakura got off the couch to go to Kiba's house. She took a relaxing bath and put on a black tracksuit and a long-sleeved shirt. The pink-haired girl stared at herself in the mirror. Not stopping to think about anything else but the shocking truth. Realizing that it was nearly 5, she grabbed a white headband.

Although it wasn't exactly her nature, she thought she looked really cute while having that certain accessory on.

After putting a few needed things in her pocket, she went outside, locked the door and headed toward Kiba's home. It wasn't really far away, actually. Kiba messaged Sakura the address; the Rosette was frankly surprised to find out his house was only a short walking distance away.

With her hands in her pockets, she trudged past her neighbors', humming as she walked toward the address in her phone. Sakura turned towards an alley that would serve as a shortcut to the Inuzuka's house, but she noted to hurry because the alley creeped her out considerably. As she made her way through, she realized that someone else was walking in the alley, too.

It was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

She tried to avoid eye contact with him. However he was walking towards her. As she finally managed to walk past him, she heard him stop and turn around, and heard his stoic and cool voice speak out, "You…you're coming with me."

Sakura stopped abruptly and turned around as well. "What the fuck are you saying?" she snarled. Scowling at him, the Pinkette continued, "I'm on my way to a friend's house, so mind your own business, pretty boy!"

Sasuke glowered and walked dangerously close. Sakura didn't bother to walk away, and he snatched her hand, pulling it out of her pocket. "I said, you're coming _with_ me."

Sakura struggled to break free from his grasp. "What the _hell _makes you think _I'll _follow _you, _you arrogant bastard?!" As she felt his clutch tighten, she winced in pain. Her knuckles were still half-broken from her punching exercise yesterday.

"Look, you're _mine, _bitch," Sasuke hissed, his eyebrows drew together in anger, "And you're not going _anywhere _without _my _permission."

Sakura was surprised by what he said. "What the _fuck _makes you think that I belong to _you?!" _She tried to shove him away and succeded, but his grip seemed unbreakable.

"I _like _you, stupid girl!" Sasuke barked, his unoccupied hand grabbing Sakura's left one that was still in her pocket. He ignored her quiet moans of pain, "I _always_ getwhat I _want _and whether you like it or not, you belong to me, bitch!"

Sakura felt a mixture of anger and vexation. With rage, she broke one hand free from the young Uchiha's grasp and punched him with all her might. The handsome boy let go of her and cupped his own red cheek. A line of blood dripped from the end of his mouth.

"You're just a bastard!" Sakura shouted angrily, trying hard to withstand the pain of her bruised wrists, "You should learn, right now, I _do not _fucking belong to anyone! _Especially _you! I loved you before, idiot, but not now. You should've asked me then! You should've asked me when I didn't know how _stupid _you were!"

Her pale-green eyes glared at the injured boy scornfully. She looked down to the back of her hand to find both of her knuckles were a bluish green color. She returned her attention back toward Sasuke, glowering at him.

"You're so childish, Sakura," Sasuke voiced, and as he opened his mouth, more drips of blood fell onto the road, "It's hard to be my girlfriend and you're rejecting my offer. You even punched me and what I taste now is blood in my mouth. Could you be _less_ grateful?"

"I don't give a shit," Sakura growled, turning away from him. "You've broken many hearts, including mine. I loved you once, bastard." She paused to glare daggers at him, "I won't love you again."

She turned on her heel and left. Stalking off down the eerie street.

_._

_I'm wide awake_

_._

Kiba was delighted to see Sakura appear at the gate of his house. She smiled at him. He opened the gate, letting her inside. The moment she stepped in, Akamaru barked and jumped at her. She laughed, stroking the white puppy's soft fur coat.

Honestly, the first thing that came to Kiba's mind when he saw the jade-eyed girl was that she looked really cute with that headband.

Though, when he saw her knuckles that seemingly were bruised, his eyebrows drew together in worry and his usual smile of welcome turned into a frown. Was Sakura injured? He watched her get up, smiling weakly at him. "Hello, Kiba! Thanks for inviting me to your house. Seeing Akamaru really made me happy!" She had a cute grin on her face after that. It seemed genuine. What was that before though?

"Are you injured?" Kiba asked, his voice clearly stated he was worried. He pointed toward her hands, "They seem bruised. Why don't you come inside? My mother could put some oil on that."

"You noticed?" Sakura asked, her eyebrows rose with surprise as she looked at her hands, "Well, yeah…they are bruised. Are you sure your mother won't mind?"

Kiba smiled and held her forearm, leading her inside the house, inviting her to sit on the sofa. "Stay here, Sakura-chan. I'll go get the oil for that bruise. In the meantime, my mother will be getting snacks together." When Kiba left the room he got to see his house more closely. She found it was nicely decorated.

Suddenly Sakura saw a girl enter the living room. The tomboy recognized her, as she'd seen her a lot in her school. It was Kiba's sister, Hana.

"Oh, so you're Sakura-chan?" Hana asked, smiling sweetly as she took a seat opposite the girl with candy-coloured hair. "You look really cute with that headband on!" But then her black eyes saw Sakura's injured hands and she gasped. "My god, that's an awful bruise!"

"Yeah, I got the oil!" Kiba interrupted their conversation, entering the room and taking a seat next to Sakura. He opened the cap, dripping a few drops on Sakura's knuckles, and rubbing the substance around carefully to not hurt her.

Sakura realized Hana was watching them with a mischevious smile. Frankly, she thought that Kiba's sister was a true beauty. No wonder she heard that many boys were trying to get together with her.

"Hey…you know," She suddenly spoke with a mischevious tone, "You two could make a really great couple!"

Kiba blushed and he paused, looking at her sister, then meeting Sakura's gaze. His face turned red and he glared at his sister before releasing his grip of Sakura's hand. "Stop teasing me, Hana! Now, go away and talk to your boyfriend!"

Sakura smiled as she heard the brown-haired beauty laugh and leave the room. Her green eyes turned toward Kiba, whose face still had a faint blush as he scratched the back of his head. "Err…don't mind what she said, Sakura-chan. My sister can be a real pain in the ass."

He sat next to Sakura as she giggled and the brown-haired boy smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Kiba," Sakura said, a bright smile on her face, "Honestly, I'm grateful."

Before he could reply, a woman with messy short hair entered the room with a tray. She placed it on the table before turning to face the two friends, "Oh, hello there, Sakura-chan. I'm Tsume, Kiba's mother. Come on and have a bite."

"Thank you, Tsume-san," Sakura smiled, getting up and walking towards the table behind the sofa. The pinkette saw a plate of delicious chocolate cakes cut into small pieces, and they made her tempted to gobble everything down.

Kiba approached the table a few minutes later, taking a seat and inviting Sakura to sit next to him. His mother laughed, so the tomboy's attention toward the cakes was broken off. "Sakura-chan, by the way you are looking at the chocolate cakes I bought earlier, I can easily tell that you haven't eaten since this morning."

The emerald-eyed girl was caught off guard. '_How did this woman know?' _Sakura thought to herself, eyes slightly wide from surprise, _'She's as good at studying someone as my mother. She must be very talented…'_

"I know my anatomy, Sakura-chan," Tsume laughed again, taking a seat and pouring some orange juice into a cup and offering it to the jade-eyed beauty, "Come on, then. Have a snack and stay for dinner, okay?"

Sakura nodded with a cheerful smile on her face. She ate all the pieces of cake placed on her plate. Also, later, helped Hana bring the dishes to the kitchen. The two girls had a friendly conversation as they did a few chores in the kitchen, the tomboy made a new friend. After a few errands were completed, Sakura went outside to play with Kiba and Akamaru.

The moment she stepped out, a rubber ball came flying towards her face. She caught it with ease. Kiba had an impressed smirk on his face and Akamaru barked energetically, making Sakura smirk as well, throwing the ball towards the brown-haired boy's face.

The moment he caught it, he threw it back, but Sakura was quicker and the ball hit Kiba at the nose before it dropped onto the grass below. With a grin on his face, he said, "Wow, you're a lot faster at throwing than anyone else on the basketball team! Not to mention the bruises on your hands." He kneeled to reach for a much smaller, green squishy ball, "I wonder if you could train Akamaru to run faster than he could right now."

"You can count on me," Sakura replied, grinning and catching the small ball that Kiba had thrown toward her, "When I first played with Akamaru, I did think that he could run at least a little faster. How much do you train him, anyway?"

"I train him less nowadays…" Kiba said, kneeling down to pat the white puppy who wagged his tail cheerfully, "You know, ()I'm too busy with the homework and projects at school. Also with all the sports I'm involved in."

"Oh, I see…" Sakura jogged over to the small garden in front of Kiba's bungalow, waving her hands in the air with the ball in one hand. "Hey, Akamaru, see this?!" , the Pinkette asked, gesturing to the round item on her palm. The white puppy immediately ran toward her, barking. "Oh, so you do see it? Then go and get it!"

Kiba watched with amusement as Sakura threw the small, bouncy green ball over his head, bouncing it off of the gate and into his neighbor's garden. The tomboy's face had a surprised expression and the Inuzuka heir had to stifle his giggles as he heard the beauty rush out of the gate. "Oops, my fault! I'll go get it, Kiba. Stay here with Akamaru…"

The rosette approached the house and rang the doorbell. "Hello, is anyone there?" she called, "I need to get the ball I accidentally threw in here. Hopefully it won't cause any problems."

The door opened and Sakura was surprised to see the boy standing at the door. _"Shika?"_ she asked incredulously.

The black-haired boy immediately smiled when he saw the beauty with candy-coloured hair. "Oh, it's you, Sakura-chan. What are you doing here?" He watched the pink-haired girl open the gates and enter the house compound, picking up the ball. "Oh, you wanted to get something?"

"Yeah, I accidentally threw this into your garden," Sakura nodded, smiling childishly as she showed him the dark green ball. "I didn't know you lived right next to Kiba! I was playing with him and Akamaru when this happened."

Shikamaru's smile vanished and his eyes turned toward Kiba that was watching the both of them with a smirk on his face. "Hm…I see, Sakura-chan. It's okay, continue your little game." With that he scowled at the brown-haired boy and slammed the door.

"Man, he's one rude fellow, isn't he?" Kiba voiced, making Sakura's attention turn towards him, "Come on, Sakura-chan, you got what you wanted now. Let's get back to playing."

"O-okay…" Sakura nodded. Turning around to leave, she continued playing after shutting the gates of the Nara heir's home. However, she didn't realize that she was being watched. It was by Shikamaru, through his window.

Why did Shikamaru's smile vanish the minute Sakura said Kiba's name? That was something Sakura was curious about. Oh indeed.

…

_.._

_._

_My heart's a stereo_

_It beats for you so listen close_

_Here my thoughts in every note_

_Oh, oh_

_._

_.._

…

Sakura's plan to go shopping with her best friend was cancelled due to Konan's busy schedule.

The tomboy knew that the amber-eyed beauty had to take care of a terribly sick Pein, that was why she couldn't join the Pinkette to the mall. To make matters worse, the next week Sakura would be forced to babysit the pierced man. How troublesome.

"Now I'll have a _whole _day of boring shopping!" Sakura sighed the minute she stepped into Konan's home, plopping onto the sofa. "Shopping isn't fun when you don't have a companion! Although I'm a boyish person, you can't blame me for loving to waste my money on new things!"

Konan smiled apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Sakura-kun. We can't afford to let Pein spend the night at the hospital right now, and it wouldn't hurt to take care of him for at least a day." The blue-haired girl paused, "I'm not sure if the other members are busy, but I can confirm that Kakuzu's free to spend the day with you. What about that?"

The Pinkette stuck her tongue out in disgust upon hearing her best friend's suggestion, "EW, shopping with a stingy old man?! _No thanks_…" Sakura paused, considering the suggestion, "Though, it's better than shopping with that bellicose, perverted man, Hidan. Do you think Kakuzu would accept?"

"I don't know, but maybe you could try to persuade him," Konan smiled as she thought of the masked man. "They say that the most effective way in coaxing someone like him is to promise you'll buy him something. Do you have enough money for something like _that?"_

"Definitely, as long as there's someone I know following me," The pale-green eyed girl grinned, "I'm pretty sure he won't ask me to buy something for him because I think he'll ask for a paycheck instead. Hopefully he can control his temper, because I'm going to go shopping for more than 3 hours." Sakura got up and walked over to the fridge, "Hey, tell him to take off his mask and hood while we're there. The way he covers himself is creeping me out."

"Of course, I'll make sure he does that," Konan giggled before glancing over to the wall clock. "Urm, Sakura-kun, you're going shopping at 12 noon, right? Well, it's 11.30, so I'll tell Kakuzu to get ready until then."

"Thanks," Sakura muttered with a spoon of chocolate jam in her mouth, watching the girl with yellowish-brown eyes enter one of the doors, then she hearing another door open, followed by grunts and mumbles. The pink-haired girl was grateful she had such a benevolent and meek friend.

After a few minutes, Konan opened the door and entered the living room, and she smiled at the emerald-eyed girl, "Although it was hard to wake him up, he agreed to following you and taking his mask and hood off. He just told me to remind you to not be such a brat."

Sakura rolled her eyes as the blue-haired girl joined her in the kitchen. "Why are the Akatsuki boys coming up with _all kinds _of nicknames for me?" The tomboy sighed, "Deidara calls me Pinky and Kisame calls me a Shrimp. Sasori calls me a little girl, and Kakuzu calls me a brat. Who knows what'll come up next?"

"If Pein calls you a anything, it will be either 'insolent girl' or Angel," Konan informed, giggling as she heard the names her members had given to Sakura, "The boys here are lively and full of mischief, not to mention unpredictable, and that's what keeps my life exciting. You just have to get accustomed to it, then, Sakura-kun."

"Oh, so these men like teasing newcomers?" Sakura asked with an eyebrow raised, and watched Konan nod. The pink-haired girl shook her head with a smile, "I'll never understand the mind of a boy, although I'm the boyish type."

The girls chatted for a while until one of the doors opened and the girls turned their attention toward the man standing inside it. Sakura couldn't prevent the smile on her face as she saw Kakuzu standing there with a neutral facial expression. But when his teal-colored eyes met her gaze, he scowled. "What are you staring at, brat?!"

"Be kind to me," Sakura replied sweetly, in a taunting way, "You're the last person on my mind that I would go shopping with, yet Konan-san recommended you, anyway. It's not like I _want _you to follow."

Frankly, Sakura was shocked to see Kakuzu appear at the door. He was wearing a casual black T-shirt that was rather loose, and as he walked towards her, the shirt pressed against his chest. If she wasn't boyish the pink-haired girl knew that she would die of embarrassment, because it seemed like Kakuzu practiced real hard to get those abs.

What also fascinated her was that it looked like his mouth was stitched, too. He had brown hair that reached his shoulders that really suited him. His skin was dark, and stitches were nearly everywhere on him.

"Hey, did you go for some surgery or something?" Sakura suddenly asked, only to mentally facepalm.

"You do _not _want to know how I got them, stupid girl," Kakuzu replied grimly, only to make a look of disgust appear on Konan's face as he headed towards the door, "And I'm going to drive the motor there. I don't want to be mortified as people watch a young girl driving around with a grown man on a motorcycle that clearly the man would own."

Konan made a face that warned Sakura to never ask the stitched man the same question again. Smiling in reply, the jade-eyed girl winked and waved goodbye before joining Kakuzu outside. The amber-eyed beauty heard the pink-haired girl's motor engine roar to a start, and then there were voices that sounded like an argument, and then the motor drove out of the house compound and the sound faded.

The blue-haired beauty allowed a smile to play across her face. A normal shopping Sunday might turn into one hell of an adventure.

…

_.._

_._

_I need_

_Some new stilettoes_

_Can't walk_

_Down the street in those_

_You are_

_Who you wear it's true_

_A girl's just as hot_

_As the shoes she chooses_

_._

_.._

…

She could feel the warmth of the sunlight on her pale skin. She could feel the wind in her hair. She could hear the people bustling about on the busy street. She could see the boulevard shaded by a tall building.

Then she saw Kakuzu in front of her with his arms crossed.

"Don't waste time, girl," He scolded, his pale-green eyed that were nearly identical to Sakura's stared down at her, "I don't want to continue the shopping into next week. Come along, now."

Sakura walked behind the rather tall man as they made their way toward the boulevard that led toward the city mall. The pink-haired girl felt so happy and excited as she walked past the cafés and shops. The shade that the building provided made the boulevard feel cool. The breeze just got the emerald-eyed girl in 'the mood', as she would like to call it.

She glanced down to see what she was wearing. She was wearing a bright yellow tank top with a light blue jean jacket, dark green shorts and knee-length, chic black boots. Initially, Sakura was hesitant to wear the shorts, because they were really short, revealing most of her legs in the process. From the chill she was getting because of the breeze, she wondered why she even agreed with her alter-ego to wear the shorts, anyway.

Apart from that, everything was perfect, but Inner Sakura mumbled that something was missing. The girl with candy-colored hair searched for the missing thing, and her pale-green eyes landed on Kakuzu who was right behind her. She had a strange feeling that he was the missing thing.

**He's the missing link, **Inner Sakura muttered, and the tomboy noticed that her alter-ego's voice had no hint of flirting, but just seemed like her inner-self was trying to make the day more perfect, **Maybe you should…hug his arm.**

'_Are you crazy?!' _Sakura argued with inner in utter shock. She was caught off guard by her inner-self's suggestion, _'I can't do that! And even if I do, he would ask me what I'm doing and he surely won't allow it!'_

**Just try, will you?! **Her alter-ego shouted, her voice seemed just as confused and embarrassed as Sakura's voice, **If you ask me, I think hugging his arm as you walk toward the entrance would really make the time being better…**

Sakura glanced at Kakuzu's arm from the corner of her emerald-eyes. Should she do it? She honestly really agreed with her alter-ego's suggestion, because in her mind, she really thought that it would definitely make the walk better.

Unsure of what to do, she took a step closer to the man and was relieved he didn't notice. Slowly, Sakura tried to slip her hand around his arm, failing every single time as she glanced up at his eyes to see if he noticed, afraid he would look at her any second.

The Pinkette knew that the color of her cheeks were past the color of her rose-colored hair. Determined and unwilling to give up, she took in a deep breath and glanced up to see if Kakuzu was suspecting anything. When she confirmed he wasn't, she quickly slipped her hand around his arm and hugged it, trapping it between her arm and chest.

She shut her eyes tightly with her face as red as a tomato, her face facing the ground and her clasp was tight. She realized that Kakuzu had stopped walking. She could sense him looking down at her. As she expected to receive a shove by the tall man, she was surprised when he continued walking without a word.

Sakura didn't look up for a few more minutes until she was finally brave enough. Her emerald eyes scanned the expression on the man's face with a slight blush still on her cheeks, and found out that his face was neutral as if nothing was happening.

'_That's strange,' _Sakura concluded in her mind, '_I thought that he would remonstrate against what __I was__ doing.' _The pink-haired girl studied his expression for a few more minutes, and then allowed a cute smile to play across her face. _'Whatever, since he doesn't mind it, there's no problem to it, then!'_

The breeze blew again. Sakura's smile became even wider as she enjoyed the relaxing feeling. Hugging Kakuzu's arm wasn't a bad idea after all.

In five minutes time, the two reached the main entrance of the large city mall. The minute they stepped in, Sakura released her clutch of the brown-haired man's arm, and grinned as she eyed all the shops that sold all kinds of clothes.

Looking over her shoulder, her emerald eyes looked at Kakuzu that was standing behind her. "Wow, this is perfect! Come on, Kakuzu, let's get shopping!"

"Don't get carried away, brat," Kakuzu muttered, following the young girl as she walked toward the escalator, "You could do better things than waste your fortune on clothes and accessories. Where did you even get the money?"

"Tsunade, the school's headmistress, let me borrow some money due to my parents' death, and I still have a huge sum of it," Sakura called from over her shoulder, since Kakuzu was quite a distance away. "Besides, I'm not going to spend it on just clothes, I'm also going to buy some food so I can cook later on. And who knows? Maybe I'll find a job."

The tan-skinned man nodded his head, indicating that he understood.

**.**

It was 5.30 when the two exited the mall and walked down the boulevard with a few plastic bags, all clutched by Kakuzu as he walked by Sakura's side. "Why didn't you buy much?" Kakuzu asked as he looked down to see the six bags he was carrying, "I thought that you were going to fill up a whole trolley."

"We came in a motorcycle," Sakura replied, her jade-eyes sparkled that showing she was satisfied with her shopping, "And one plastic is filled with a lot of stuff. I'm kind of surprised that you don't feel it's heavy. Guess you're nearly same as Kisame."

"You could say that," he mumbled, his teal green eyes looking at the café.

"Let's stop by one of the café's and eat," Sakura suddenly said, turning abruptly toward one of the restaurants and taking a seat at one of the table's outside. Kakuzu simply followed, hoping that the sound of his rumbling stomach wasn't loud enough for the Pinkette to hear.

He sat down on a chair opposite Sakura at the small table designed for two. He placed the plastic bags under the table and crossed his arms, his teal-coloured eyes watched Sakura as she waved her hand trying to get the attention of one of the waiters.

As Kakuzu was about to raise his hand to help the Pinkette, a handsome waiter walked up to them and smiled politely before handing over a menu. After a few minutes of browsing, the two made their choices and the waiter came to take their order.

"What would you two lovers want on this romantic evening?" the waiter said, taking his notebook and pen from his pocket. Sakura paused for a while and Kakuzu didn't react.

"Oh, we're not a couple," Sakura replied with a smile. The man with dark brown hair was rather surprised that she said it with such a casual tone. He watched the waiter apologize, take their orders and walk away.

"Wow, the waiters here are wearing soigné clothing," Sakura said, her pale-green eyes watched the waitresses holding trays of refreshing drinks, "No wonder the prices of the food are rather expensive. If the nosh tastes good, I guess it's worth it."

"Sooner or later the money that you have will finish," Kakuzu muttered, unfolding his arms and leaning forward, "Don't you have a job?"

"I need a job with a good pay," The tomboy sighed, scratching the back of her head, "I'm only 15, Kakuzu. I can't think of a job, other than a waitress, that might accept me. I don't even know what I'm good at. If I was good at painting maybe I could sell my art."

"True, but you do have some attributes," Kakuzu replied, making Sakura startled as she looked into his teal eyes, wondering what he meant. The brown-haired man continued, "We don't really see a pink-haired girl everyday, do we? With your pastel-pink hair and rare, pale-green eyes, I'm sure that being a model might fit you."

"I don't know if the modeling world has a limit," Kakuzu kept talking, not giving Sakura a chance to reply, "But maybe you should model for hats or sunglasses, something that shows off your hair and eyes. You don't really fit in to be a model for clothes, because your body shape doesn't fit."

The Rosette was speechless. Did he just _compliment _her? Sakura paused, looking for the right words. Finally she smirked, "Okay, I'll take your advice. But you never know, it might not work because I think that they only accept 18-year-old models…"

At that time a waitress came up to their table and Sakura was delighted to see that the drinks she ordered were there. She took a sip of her fresh orange juice, and she watched Kakuzu stare at the evening sky. But then Sakura looked behind him.

From afar, someone was watching her.

**.**

"Urm…Kakuzu?"

The tall man stopped and turned around. Sakura was still on her bike with her helmet in her hands, with a beaming smile on her face.

Her eyes glimmered with happiness. "What is it, brat?" Kakuzu asked.

"Thanks, I had a great time," Sakura thanked, reaching for something in her pocket, "And you also forgot your pay…just wait there, I'll get it…"

"It's okay, keep it," Kakuzu voiced, making the jade-eyed girl pause halfway and look at him with her mouth agape. "You already spent some money for me at the restaurant, so no need for the money. Go home and rest, because you have school tomorrow."

"Okay…" Sakura said hesitantly, then strapped her helmet on, "That's fine, then. Good night, Kakuzu. Thanks again!" With that, her motorcycle roared to a start and she drove away.

The stitched man watched her black motorcycle as it receded every minute. He couldn't stop the smirk from his face. Honestly, he was lying when he said Sakura's body shape wasn't interesting. He was actually surprised that she was wearing shorts.

Her legs are nice. That was the first thing Kakuzu thought when he saw her.

…

_.._

_._

_Sexy, sexy_

_That's all I do_

_If you need a bad bitch_

_Let me call a few_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: **Next chapter will be dedicated to a very special reviewer, and no, it is not the chapter of when I reveal Sakura's savior. I just want to tell you the person that was watching her when our heroine was eating is our lovely Sakura's hero! Chapter 7's couple is a couple nobody will see coming.

Soigné (swahn-yay)= Well groomed and elegant

Nosh= Slang for food

Review=Love=Author's Inspiration=Faster Updates


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: **5, 714

**Summary: **She wentfrom a girly girl known for her bossiness, to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents' astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Not only did this transformation attract not only the Akatsuki, but her crush and nearly all the boys in school. Oh, yes it did. But a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthrall. From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku.

**A/N: **Dedicated to **strawberryMIKO, **since she asked for the couple in this chapter herself. It was a couple that maybe…most people don't really like, but it was so bizzare I decided I could make her happy. She requested for a couple from the MultiSaku group. Her reviews are always the most inspiring…*sighs* but it seems that she has stopped reviewing! T^T

…

_.._

_._

_I'm beautiful in my way_

_Cause God makes no mistakes_

_I'm on the right track baby _

_I was born this way_

_._

_.._

…

Sakura hated Mondays.

I think you do, too…anyway, back to the point.

The pink-haired girl followed her classmates as they made way to the large school field. The emerald-eyed girl really likes Gym class, although she never admitted it before. When she was girly back then, she somehow always found a way to excuse herself from doing any sport.

The girl with candy-coloured hair walked behind a few girls from her class, since she had yet to make friends, who are girls, from her class. They were whispering way too loudly, so Sakura heard what they were talking about.

"Hey, did you hear the rumours last week?" The red-haired girl asked. The brunette, whose hair was tied into Chinese-style buns, shook her head and Karin continued, "I heard that our gym teacher will be replaced! I mean, I really like Anko-sensei and they just _had _to replace her! I wonder who our new teacher is."

The pinkette was also curious to know who their new teacher is, not to mention, she also wanted to see if the rumours were true.

When her classmates gathered by the tall, leafy trees at the north part of the field, her jade eyes searched the sports ground to see if there was any unfamiliar man or woman, which might be their new teacher. But she failed to spot any.

She continued to keep a lookout until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Sasuke, his expression completely blank as his coal eyes met her pale-green orbs. The pastel-pink haired girl raised her eyebrow, ignoring the glares Sasuke's fangirls were giving her.

"What is it?" The emerald-eyed girl asked. Her voice didn't seem irritated or angry in any way.

"I'm sorry for my behaviour yesterday, Sakura." The raven-haired boy apologized, making the pinkette amused, "I hope you can forgive me and come to my—"

"No problem, I'm sorry, too," The tomboy smiled, interrupting the dark-eyed boy. Sasuke was just about to continue his sentence but he heard his name being called and turned around to see Naruto and the other male classmates. They were waving at him and pointing at the ball, indicating it was time to play football.

"I have to go," The Uchiha heir said hurriedly before rushing over to his blond-haired friend.

Still pretending she didn't notice the jealous aura the fangirls were releasing, the jade-eyed girl continued to look around until someone caught her eye.

He was an unfamiliar person that was tall and a noticably muscular man. He had spiky, black hair, brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He was also wearing bandages like a mask over the bottom-half of his face. As far as she was concerned, Sakura's never seen him before.

"Is this the first class of the 9th grade?" He asked once he managed to approach the pink-haired girl. When she nodded, he walked past her and stood in front of the remaining students of the class, which were all girls. All the boys were playing football at the field, practising for this Thursday's match between their class and the school's football team, which consisted of students from the 11th grade.

"Okay, listen up, I'm replacing your gym teacher from now on," He announced, his voice rough and intimidating. He muttered a bit to himself before continuing, "I'm Zabuza. Believe me when I say that you do _not _want to make me angry."

A few girls shuddered. Suddenly, the tall man pointed his arm toward the field and commanded, "Run seven laps around the _whole, damned field_. No shorcuts, no jogging, no resting. Do it NOW!" Immediately, the pale-green eyed girl's classmates ran past her as they made their way around the huge field.

Sakura chased after them. After managing to run a few laps, she was feeling tired already, but everytime she slowed down, she could hear Zabuza's whistle as it blew loud enough to make her ears burst. It was an indication to tell her to keep running. _That bastard._

The bubblegum-pink haired girl needed to rest really badly. As she was on her last lap and was nearing her gym teacher, she suddenly felt something hit her hard on the side of her head and she fell on her right arm.

Moaning slightly, Sakura rubbed her left ear that received most of the impact of whatever hit her. Her jade eyes spotted a ball that might've caused the pain and she glared at the person who kicked it at her. She didn't know if he did it deliberately or not. His hazel-eyes challenged her and his grin made her want to kill him.

"Sasori…" The pink-haired girl gritted her teeth and clentched her knuckles. She quickly pushed herself off the ground and lunged toward the red-haired, snickering boy with a fist in the air. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

The brown-eyed boy fell onto the ground, his face looking up at the sky with his cheek red. He winced as the pale-green eyed girl cracked her knuckles, making a few other boys cringe. "You think that was funny, idiot?!" She snarled, "I'll get revenge when I beat you in the football match this Thursday, bastard!"

"Oh, I see you haven't forgotten when you challenged me to a match, when you first joined the Akatsuki," The scarlet-haired boy smirked as he got up into a sitting position, "Well, I haven't forgotten it either. Revenge for what I did to you when I was 10, right? Anyway, you can't possibly join your grade's football team. It's meant for boys only."

"You'll see." Sakura growled before walking past Pein and Deidara, who seemed to be a part of the school's football team along with Sasori. Zetsu was around, too, but he was quite a distance away. She noted that all of the Akatsuki boys were a part of the team, except Kisame, Madara and Kakuzu, who weren't schooling there.

The other girls from her class were on the ground, panting as they were exhausted after such a long run. The cherry-colour haired girl was mumbling to herself with a vein still visible on her forehead as she approached her classmates. Later, the olive-eyed girl decided to go buy a drink from the vending machine.

She walked up to her new gym teacher, who had witnessed the whole incident without her knowledge. Honestly, Zabuza was astonished by her boldness and strength, as he had never seen a _girl _punch a senior—a popular one, he knew—down onto the ground with one blow, shout a bad word loudly, and not get in trouble for it.

"Hey, can I go to the vending machine?" He heard her ask. Her voice was like an angel's, but she still seemed annoyed by what had happened earlier. Zabuza nodded his head and watched her run across the field and into the school building to get to the drinks machine.

His lips curved into a smirk under his mask. She was an interesting, brave young girl that surprisingly caught his attention when he looked into her weird, green eyes. He knew there was one thing for sure: he needed to know her name. He noticed that the other girls didn't like her, so he needed to ask the pinkette herself, as they probably will refuse to answer.

Zabuza got up and followed Sakura quietly.

**.**

After taking a few gulps, Sakura let out a huge, relieved sigh and smiled at her can. "Man, I never thought this flavor was so refreshing!" She exclaimed, trying to forget about the annoying red-head, "Hmm...Apple with aloe vera? I'll buy it again tomorrow."

Suddenly, the thought of Sasori came back to her mind, making her grit her teeth and crush the nearly empty can. She was so angry at him, not only because he liked to tease her, he likes to challenge her as well. Her rage had come back again.

It was then she heard footsteps approaching her. Looking up from the wall she was leaning on, she saw her new gym teacher as he walked through the quiet hallway. His footsteps echoed in the silent corridor as his brown eyes focused on her.

Unfortunately for Zabuza, she was in a bad mood. "What do you want?"

"You were taking too long," He replied calmly, making the jade-eyed girl scowl at him. He continued, with his voice slightly angry, "Before class is over, I'd like to know your name."

"I'm sorry, my mother told me to never talk to strangers." She retorted, refusing to tell him what he wanted.

He was getting impatient. "You don't have a mother anymore."

The tomboy, who had folded her arms by now, went stiff as her emerald eyes widened a bit. Zabuza mentally smirked, thinking that she will finally give him her name. But what she did next was absolutely unexpected to him.

Her hand grabbed his collar and she pulled him closer to her, where he managed to catch a glimpse of her lime-coloured eyes. To his surprise, she was gritting her teeth and her olive eyes showed rage and sadness. At that moment he felt her land a punch on his jaw.

He stumbled back after she released his collar. He rubbed his sore chin, and then glared at the pinkette whose eyes were wide with regret and fear. Zabuza knows that she knew what she did was wrong, and she's scared she might pay the price for it. To be alone with a man in a silent hallway is dangerous, especially when she's a girl.

He approached her, his hazel eyes focusing at her as he glowered. Sakura cringed and the dark-haired man was about to grab her forearm until her felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a familiar face.

"Don't tell me you're harrassing one of my students, Zabuza," Kakashi spoke, giving a glare to the tall, muscular man, "You aren't fit to be a teacher and you never will. Now, leave Sakura-chan alone or I'm reporting you to Tsunade."

Oh, so her name was Sakura? "She punched me first, Kakshi," Zabuza growled, pushing the grey-haired man's hand off of his shoulder. He turned around to look at the pale-green eyed girl, who seemed to have calmed down after Kakashi showed up.

"That's because you _made_ her punch you," The man next to him replied calmly, walking past the dark-haired man and toward the girl. He put a hand on her head as she looked up with her pretty green eyes. Kakashi smiled underneath his face mask, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied. Then, she looked at the hazel-eyed man and gave a small bow, "Please forgive me, too, Zabuza…sensei." She muttered out the last word with hesitation.

"Sorry for reminding you of a bad memory, girl," The tan-skinned man muttered, making Kakashi pull an unsatisfied frown from behind his mask. Mentally rolling his eyes, Zabuza smirked from under his mask, "Hey, Sakura, anything I could do for you?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed without hesitation before blushing slightly and clapping her hand over her mouth. Slowly, she mumbled, "Er, I want to be on the 9th grade's football team. I want to fight with the seniors…this Thursday."

The gym teacher's eyebrow was raised and he fell silent for a while before nodding his head. "Okay, but if we lose you're going to get detention. You're the first girl to ever be on a football team, so don't be defeated. I know you want…revenge."

Sakura smirked before allowing a happy smile to play on her face. "Thanks so much, Zabuza-sensei! I won't disappoint you." She gave him a polite bow.

Kakashi's rival chuckled as he messed up Sakura's short hair. "I like you, kid. You've got a lot of spunk," Her lime-coloured eyes looked up at him and twinkled. "Keep it up and don't lose the game. Show the red-head who's boss."

Sakura's smile got wider as Zabuza turned around. The bell rang a few seconds later and the pinkette turned to face her English teacher. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, I know I've said it before, but thank you!" She exclaimed, grinning, "Um…I need to know how to control my anger sometimes."

The silver-haired man shrugged, "I don't know much about self-control, so you'll have to learn yourself," He smiled from under his mask as he walked up to her and patted her hair, "That guy messed up your hair pretty bad. I'll fix it."

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" The jade-eyed girl asked, showing no sign of protest when the man suggested he should 'fix her hair'. When he nodded, she continued, "I need help with my studies, and there are two guys who could teach me. But…honestly, who is smarter, Neji or Shikamaru?"

"I don't know," He replied, shrugging his shoulders as he took a step away from her. Her hair was neat again and she looked as exotic as ever. "I think Shikamaru, but he's a lazy bum. He won't teach you. If you want, you could come to my house and I'll teach you myself."

"…I'll think about it, Kakashi-sensei," Her lips curved into a hesitating frown for a few seconds. Then, her frown disappeared, replaced with a smile. "I don't know. I'll check up with Shikamaru and Neji to see if they're willing to teach me."

The tomboy, accompanied by the silver-haired man, walked to the girls' changeroom, and there Sakura changed into her boy's uniform. Although she was wearing the clothing, she didn't put on the dark grey jacket.

The two climbed up the stairs toward Sakura's class, since it was time for the second period, which is English. "Sakura-chan, you look really handsome and could pass for a pink-haired boy," Kakashi grinned, but did not look at her, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No." Sakura replied bluntly.

"I know a few boys who seem to like you," The man smiled mischeviously from under his mask, giving Sakura the books that he was holding, "But I'm not going to divulge the secret to you. Here, take these books up to class, I forgot something in the staff room."

The pinkette nodded her head and brought the books up to her class, putting them on the table. Her emerald eyes spotted Neji and she walked up to him. Luckily, most of her classmates did not notice her arrival because they were too busy talking to each other. As the pink-haired girl approached the Hyuga heir, he smiled at her.

"Hi, Neji," Sakura smiled back, taking a seat in front of his desk, "Er, the reason I didn't accept your invitation to the park last week is because…um…I was busy. You understand, right?"

Neji's smile disappeared and he sighed, "It's okay, Sakura-kun, I…was busy on that day, too. I had a medical check-up and I forgot to tell you about it. You haven't done a mistake at all. Sorry if you were disturbed."

"Not really, now that I know what you were doing last Saturday. Anyway, thanks!" Sakura chirped happily, getting up to get to her seat at the end of the class.

As she made her way, her olive eyes were suddenly locked on…Naruto. There was something about him that made him interesting. Unfortunately, he appears to be stuck with Sasuke and if any girl sees her with the popular Uchiha, they'll get jealous. And they might start some crazy rumour and she'll never get friends.

The pinkette bumped into someone. She let out a short gasp before frowning, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!"

She paused the minute she looked into his eyes. His orbs were the pale-green colour that reminded her of her own eyes. She noticed he had auburn hair and on the left side of his forehead, was the word, "love". Sakura didn't know that there was a red-head in her class.

"It's okay," He replied, his voice cold and deep as he stood up straight. His eyes widened a bit when he saw Sakura's eyes, but it became normal a few seconds later. They kept they're gaze for quite a while until the pinkette broke it off.

"Er…what's your name?" He asked, a slight blush appearing on his face as he realized he had been caught staring.

"Sakura Haruno…you can call me Sakura-chan…or Sakura-kun," She smiled briefly, "What about you?"

His blush disappeared, "I'll tell you later." With that, he walked past her and joined the group of boys that were gathering around Choji's table. They're probably scrolling through some new football magazine.

He sat on the far right side of the class, close to the wall, opposite Sakura who sat on the left side of the room. She thought of how ridiculous of her to not notice him all this time.

"Urgh, I can't believe that bitch bumped into Gaara-san!" A brown-haired girl whined to Temari, loud enough for Sakura to hear. When her olive eyes examined the stranger, she concluded the girl wasn't from her class.

Then, her lime-coloured orbs glanced at the red-haired boy from the corner of her eyes. '_Oh…so Gaara is his name.' _She thought, pretending she didn't hear the girl's comment. Looking bored, she stared out the window. '_Why didn't he tell me? It's not like I'm dangerous or anything…' _She glanced at the teal-eyed boy again, but quicker this time.

"Be quiet, Matsuri!" Gaara's sister scolded, a vein popping on her forehead. She folded her arms and sighed, "Besides, Gaara didn't fall down or anything. It's no big deal, so stop trying to find stupid reasons to hate her. Go back to the second class."

The fangirl nodded and left. For the next few minutes Sakura tried to forget about her incident with the dark red-haired boy. Luckily, she managed to distract herself when Kakashi came in to start teaching.

…

_.._

_._

_Monday Tuesday we were cool_

_Wednesday I found out 'bout you_

_Caught my heart by telling lies_

_You weren't what you advertised_

_._

_.._

…

He sat there, under the tall leafy trees as he waited for his team to warm up.

He looked around, Sakura was not to be seen anywhere. He sighed and laid back on his chair, watching the senior students warming up at the other side of the field. He didn't announce to the boys that the pinkette will be joining them on their match. Zabuza wondered on how they would react.

He was about to close his eyes until he saw someone, rather short, wearing a catchy red and white jersey, with matching, knee-length red shorts. He raised his eyebrow when he saw Sakura grinning at him.

"You know you're supposed to wear the football team clothes," He remarked, lying back on his chair as if he didn't have a care in the world. He watched as she rolled her jade eyes and folded her arms.

"You didn't give me the team's shirt," She retorted, "It's your fault."

Then, both of them heard a gasp from one of the boys on the team. "Eh! Sakura-chan?" Naruto exclaimed, confused and surprised, "What are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be in class? Why are you wear—"

"I'm a temporary member," The pale-green eyed girl interrupted, smiling. A few boys grunted and mumbled as she continued, "I have some scores to settle with…a senior. One of the Akatsuki members, to be more exact."

"I've given her permission to join, but only for today," Zabuza informed, glaring at the boys' disapproving looks that they were giving the pink-haired girl, "And if we lose _because of her__, _she'll be punished. However, do your best and don't lose."

The male members of the 9th grade's football team were satisfied to know that if Sakura costs them any problem, she'll pay the price. The emerald-eyed girl noticed their smug faces and scowled at them, mumbling to herself. "A bunch of bastards don't realize that a girl could be as good at football as much as a boy. I'll show them."

"Okay, Sakura, you're a striker," The dark-haired teacher said, pointing toward the goal where the senior's goalkeeper was warming up. Everyone stayed silent as the man's sentence had _two different meanings. _Zabuza coughed and explained, "You're supposed to strike a goal for our team. You'll be a striker along with Naruto."

Her lime-coloured orbs glanced at the blonde from the corner of her eyes. She didn't bother to listen to what Zabuza said next about who's the defenders and the people on the mid-field. She turned her attention toward the enemy team's goalkeeper.

**Hey, Sasori's the senior goalkeeper! **Inner Sakura exclaimed, shocked and excited at the same time. She felt the pinkette mentally smirk at her and the alter-ego continued, **Let's score one goal, and during the second one, we'll kick it to his face! What about that?**

'_Good idea, but we'll get disqualified if he gets injured,' _The tomboy reasoned, sighing softly so the boys can't hear her, _'Oh well, at least I scored one goal and achieved what I really wanted to do. Even if I get a red card and can't play anymore, it won't affect the team and I already got my revenge.'_

**Atta girl! **Inner Sakura cheered, making a thumbs-up sign, **It's time, Sakura! Let's do our best and beat the crap out of these stupid 11****th**** graders! **When the alter-ego finished her sentence, the jade-eyed girl heard Zabuza ordering them to scatter on the field.

The match was about to begin.

The candy-coloured hair girl rushed to where she was assigned to, being greeted by the red-head's obnoxious smirk. Naruto didn't stand far away from her and he witnessed as the two mentally taunt each other.

A whistle was blown and the so called 'friendly' football match started. Sakura waited tensely as she watched her team members trying to tackle the ball away from the seniors. She fidgeted restlessly as if she was claustrophobic and stuck in a lift.

She heard someone calling Naruto's name. She turned to search who was holding the ball to see that Shikamaru was rushing toward the azure-eyed boy, and he had the ball. The enemy's defenders were closing in on him, and he passed the ball to the blonde.

With the ball at his feet, the Uzumaki heir manoeuvred the ball toward the goal, and the enemy's goalkeeper got into a stance to catch the ball. The pinkette watched Sasori focusing on the blonde. Naruto smirked as he neared the goal.

What he did next was unexpected.

Instead of kicking it toward the goal, he kicked it toward the pastel-pink haired girl. Although she was slightly shocked by his abrupt action, she picked it up quickly and raced to the round object. When she was close enough to the ball, she kicked it toward the goal.

Sasori didn't expect Naruto to be so close to the goal and then kick it toward Sakura. He was too focused on the blue-eyed boy and how he easily he could catch the ball. When he saw the ball roll toward the pinkette's feet, he was still dazed.

He leaped, trying to catch the ball that was in the air and heading toward the net. He missed it by inches before landing painfully on his left. As he fell to the grass, he heard a loud cheer. "Dammit…" He hissed, watching as the boys on the team cheered, "That bitch actually scored…"

Before her alter-ego could tell what had just happened, Sakura felt herself someone hug her from her right—no, it felt more like sombody jumped on her and clasped his arms around her. She heard loud cheers in her ear.

"Wow, Sakura-chan, you scored!" Naruto shouted, grinning and releasing his grip around her, "You have great agility. I forgot that you're replacing Shino, so I decided to use the little trick we both know. But you knew exactly what I meant when I kicked the ball towards you! You're awesome!"

"Thanks, Naruto, but it was also because of you," The olive-eyed girl laughed with a happy blush on her face. She looked at Sasori who was glaring at her while he brushed off the dirt on his shirt. Sakura smirked.

A few minutes later, the hazel-eyed boys took the ball from the net and kicked it. It flew across the field and Hidan got it, leading it toward his enemy's goal. Luckily, the goalkeeper (Sakura doesn't know who) caught it, resulting in a few of the boys passing the ball across the field. Eventually, it was closing in on the seniors' goal.

"I got it!" Sakura shouted, tackling the ball from the enemy's defenders. With the ball at her feet, she made sure she was as close as possible to the goal before kicking it.

Aiming for Sasori's face.

…

_.._

_._

_When there is desire there's gonna be flames_

_And when there is a flame someone's bound to get burned_

_But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die_

_You gotta get up_

_And try, try, try_

_._

_.._

…

"You blew it, kid," Zabuza said crossly, folding his arms as he glared down at the pink-haired girl. "The goalkeeper's nose is bleeding and you got a red card. You're not playing anymore on the team, got that?"

"It was worth the fun," Sakura admitted, stiffling her giggles as she covered her mouth to hide her mischevious smile as well, "Anyway, since I can't play anymore, could I ask one more thing, Zabuza-sensei? Please? I scored one goal, right?"

The dark-haired man considered her request. "Fine. What do you want?"

"Let me bring Sasori to the nurse," The emerald-eyed girl demanded, making her teacher slightly surprised. Her jade eyes twinkled with an emotion that looked a lot like…guilt? It was mischief at the same time.

"Okay, but I don't want to hear that you punched him or anything," The dark-brown eyed man sighed, unfolding his arms, "You're to bring him to the nurse and go change to your usual uniform. After that, go back to class and wait for the results."

"I can't possibly hurt him again!" The bubblegum-pink haired girl raised her hands, pretending to look offended. Then she grinned, "Besides, although he deserves it, I had enough revenge already. Anyway, thanks, Zabuza-sensei!"

She turned around and rushed toward the other end of the field, where Sasori was on the bench holding a tissue on his nose. From afar, the raven-haired man watched as Sakura managed to coax other members into letting her bring him to the nurse. He snickered when the seniors allowed her to do so, not bothering Sasori's angry glares and protests.

**.**

"Hold still, will you!"

"Let go of me, little girl!"

"If you don't want a broken nose, shut up!"

Before the red-head could argue back, both of his hands were in the pinkette's grasp, and she held both of them down on his lap. As Sasori struggled, the jade-eyed girl reached for some cloth. She let go of the hazel-eyed boy's hands.

"Stay still, or this will be more painful than it really is right now," The pastel-pink haired girl ordered, only to see the scarlet-haired senior fold his arms in protest. Instead of getting angry, she sighed, "My mother was the town's greatest doctor, right? She's a natural when it comes to healing, and so am I."

The coffee-coloured eyes stared into her olive-coloured ones. "Fine, but make it quick," He finally said after some silence, "The nurse is absent and there's nobody else in the room. You might take the advantage to injure me further."

"I had my revenge," She remarked blankly as she gently cleaned up the blood around the red-head's nose. She paused as she went to get a bowl of water, tissue and a packet of gauze pads. She sat in front of the senior and continued, "I'm not like you...always wanting revenge when you already got it."

"I'm not whatever you think I am," Sasori scowled, wincing slightly as the wet tissue was used on his wound. The ball had hit him right at his face, making a nasty cut on his nose, nearly hitting his eye. Frankly, he didn't expect an impact of the ball to be so painful.

He watched her throw the blood-stained tissue into the dustbin before taking out a gauze pad from its packet. "Close your eyes," She instructed and placed the dressing carefully on his face, making sure the bandage protected his wound.

"Here, take this and bring it home," The pale-green eyed girl said, tossing the packet of gause pads towards the hazel-eyed boy. He caught it easily and raised an eyebrow at her. "That wound will take time to heal, okay? Change you gauze pad once a day and avoid water from getting to the cut."

After cleaning up, she sat next to Sasori, who was sitting on the bed and examining the packet of dressings. Sakura released a heavy sigh after a few minutes of silence, but that didn't stir up a conversation.

When he was satisfied with inspecting the box of gauze pads, his brown orbs glanced at the pinkette from the corner of his eyes. She was lost in thought as she stared at the ceiling. The red-head's mouth was dry as he searched for the correct words to break the ice.

"Last week, I went to the shop to buy bread." Oh god, that sounded so lame. However, he was determined to continue, even after an embarrassing start, "And it started raining and I used a shortcut, so I had to pass by your house."

He paused to see if Sakura was paying attention. Her exotic emerald-eyes were looking at him, although she was facing upward. The hazel-eyed senior continued, "Then…something hit me on the knee, and I saw that it was a book…and it belonged to…"

He wasn't sure if he should divulge what he learned to her. He coughed before stealing a quick glance at the pink-haired tomboy. Her green eyes were wide and her face was written in shock. She was opening and closing her mouth but nothing came out.

Then, her face relaxed. "It belonged to?"

Sasori hesitated to answer. "M-Mebuki Haruno."

"It just had to be you, huh?" She said, so softly the red-head hardly heard her. "Why'd you bring that up? You want to blackmail me or something?" Her lime eyes tried glaring at him, but they glimmered with sadness and frustration.

"I'm sure your mother loves you," The coffee-coloured eyed boy commented, unsure why he was suddenly determined to cheer her up, "She loves you more than you think, Sakura. Although you were a burden, she's a mother, and mothers love their children."

"What do you know about me?" Sakura argued, but there was a quaver in her dangerously soft voice. The scarlet-haired boy could see the tears gathering in her pretty jade eyes. "She never found the time to even talk to me. She was always overseas. She's dead, so I can't ask her if she really loved me or not."

Before he could reason any further, a tear rolled down the pinkette's cheek. He paused, a surprised expression on his face and he was unsure of what to do.

"It's embarrassing," She conceded as more tears rolled down her cheek. She smiled sadly—a smile that caught Sasori's heart. "To be crying to front of _you, _still…its…comforting in a weird way. My mother, she…" Her sentence faded.

That was when Sasori suddenly felt Sakura wrap her arms around him. Her sobs were getting louder as she cried. Stunned and unsure of what to do, he awkwardly stroked her back in an effort to calm her down. As far as he was concerned, she really needed a shoulder to cry on.

"Look, she loved you, although she never admitted it." He assured, whispering those words in the pinkette's ear. He surely hoped nobody would walk in on them and ruin the moment. It would embarrass both of them as they looked a lot like they were hugging each other.

His shoulder was getting wet as her breathing became steady. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but Sasori could still feel the tears coming. He continued patting her back. He wanted her to calm down.

"Sakura, I…" He caught himself at that moment, relieved that he managed to stop himself from saying such words. He paused, searched for the right words and murmered, "She loved you…she always will…and there are many others who love you, too."

Her face lifted off his shoulder, and her striking pale-green eyes stared into his hazel orbs. She closed her eyes, breaking off the gaze before taking in a deep breath and releasing a shuddering sigh. "_Thank you." _Again, her heartbreaking smile made his heart melt.

Before she could say anything else, she felt something press against her lips.

…

_.._

_._

_Funny how the heart can be deceiving_

_More than just a couple times_

_Why do we fall in love so easy_

_Even when it's not right_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: **I gave this to my beta reader, but it took so long and I know that **Nonumaru **was busy, but I got too impatient! This came out later than I would have liked it to. Anyway, hopefully it was a satisfying, before-Christmas gift to all you loyal readers! xD

P.S. If the data about football was wrong, sorry. I think that there are supposedly 4 strikers, or maybe 2, but I got confused. Oh yeah, and I know Mebuki is a blonde, but I found out about that recently.

Reviews=Love=Author's Inspiration=Faster Updates! :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: **6, 676

**Summary: **She wentfrom a girly girl known for her bossiness, to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents' astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Not only did this transformation attract the Akatsuki, but her crush and nearly _all_ the boys in school. But a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthrall.

From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just attracted more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku.

**A/N: **Since we have entered a new year, I will be very busy. So here's what to expect, one chapter every two or three months. But if I get enough reviews, I could update once a month. Thanks for the previous reviews! Especially to **strawberryMIKO, **it's nice to know you're still reading! :D

Have you guys heard of a fighting game called **Tekken 6? **I'm addicted to it now. *O* Lol I've mastered 3 characters already. Anyway, enjoy everyone!

…

_.._

_._

_My first kiss_

_Was stolen when I closed my eyes_

_Why was I so stupid to_

_Realize_

_You tricked me_

_._

_.._

…

**So, here's what I remember, **Inner Sakura explained, folding her arms as she recalled the day before. Sakura, who was wearing her school pants, listened to what her alter-ego had to say, **You kissed that **_**hot **_**red head, parted your lips and gazed into his **_**dreamy **_**eyes, ****and then****—**

"What the hell?!" Sakura shrieked in disbelief, embarrassed and shocked by her inner-self's analysis of her second-kiss incident. "Look, right after I 'gazed into his eyes', the nurse came in and I managed to make my lucky escape."

**Pfft, 'lucky' escape? **Inner Sakura laughed, **You enjoyed the brief moment of that kiss! I bet that you were upset you had to leave. Besides, you ****were**** even more disappointed that he ****couldn't ****come to school today because of that wound.**

Sakura laughed bitterly and hoped it didn't sound too fake. "Good for him."

But, her alter-ego just _couldn't_ be deceived. **Nice try**.

The Pinkette mumbled curses at her perverted inner as she buttoned up her shirt. As she put on her jacket, her phone rang. Jade eyes glanced up at the wall clock in her bedroom to see that it was 6 in the morning. '_Who the heck would be calling me__ at this godforsaken__hour__?'_

"Hello, this is Sakura speaking," She recited as she picked up her cellphone, ready to yell at whoever it might be calling her. She guessed it would be Kiba, Shikamaru or Suigetsu, since they were the only ones she had given her number to at this point.

But she calmed when she heard a girl's voice. "Good morning, Sakura-kun!" Konan's voice was heard from the other line, "I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn't be late for school! Since you're awake, why don't you come on over for breakfast? The boys won't be up until at least 6.45. We could eat together."

"Of course, I'll be there in five minutes," Sakura smiled as she accepted her best friend's invitation. Before she hung up, the pinkette said, "Oh yeah, Konan-san, you can call me

Sakura. No need for the 'kun', since we're such good friends."

"I could say the same for you, too, Sakura!" Konan replied. The tomboy could feel the warmth of her smile, "No need for the 'san'. See you later!"

After getting ready, the emerald-eyed girl hopped onto her bike and drove off to the blue-haired girl's home. She rang the doorbell, being quickly greeted. Konan invited her inside, both of them heading for the kitchen.

Sakura smiled as she opened the fridge. "So…what will we cook to serve our lucky boys?"

In reply, Konan pulled the Pinkette away from the refrigerator and replied, "I'm not sure, but what about some sausages and scrambled eggs? Kisame has been begging for his 'Shrimp' to come over to cook for breakfast."

"That's kind of common…" Sakura faltered at her best friend's suggestion, emerald eyes spotted some strawberry jam in the large fridge though. "Wow…why don't we make waffles? You have all kinds of jam, so there'll be something different today!"

The two girls immediately started cooking. As they were making the waffles, a wonderful aroma entered the boys' rooms, the pair of junior chefs was chatting away. Konan talked about how the boys complained she wasn't a good cook and they preferred Sakura. The pink-haired girl laughed, replying that the senior was a magnificent chef and the boys were too blind to see that.

When the food was ready and Sakura was putting the plates onto the table, a few of the Akatsuki boys entered the dining room. "Now I know where the smell came from," Kisame mumbled, wearing slacks as he ambled in shirtless with a towel over his shoulder. As he ran his fingers through his wet hair, Sakura walked in.

"What the—" The pale-green eyed girl blushed when she saw the humanoid shark and nearly dropped the plates of food she was carrying. Sakura looked away with her cheeks slightly red, "K-Kisame, go wear a shirt! If not, you're not getting any of the food!"

"Whatever you say, Shrimp," he grinned from behind her, leaving the room.

"Kisame's _always _like that," Konan sighed, rolling her eyes as she helped her best friend with the plates, "The first thing he does when he wakes up is take a bath. Since he smelled something nice, he must've gotten curious and came here. It's normal for him to waltz around shirtless."

"Pinky, you're here!" Deidara grinned, glancing at the food. His jaw dropped for a few seconds but he recovered quickly and took a seat. "Come, sit next to me, Pinky! Sasori-dono ain't coming to school today!"

Sakura smiled at the Blonde's energy. "Okay, but after I set out the plates." With that, she entered the kitchen once again to make some drinks.

When the clock struck 7 in the morning, everyone in the house except Sasori, was in the dining room. Seated around the table, all of them eyed the luscious food set before them.

"Oh my fucking Jashin!" Hidan shrieked, lavender eyes looking at the waffles with disbelief, "I haven't fucking had anything fucking edible for days!"

"Shut up, Hidan," Kakuzu warned the silver-haired man seated beside him, "Just be grateful the brat you saved is here."

The whole room fell silent for a while. Sakura blinked, "What? Hidan saved me?"

The Pinkette was seated between Konan and Deidara, and Hidan was sitting opposite her, between Kisame and Kakuzu. Two empty chairs were meant for Pein and Sasori, it appeared that they were still asleep, however. The Uchiha's weren't there because they lived separately.

"The night after the sleepover he claimed to have 'saved' you," Konan whispered to the shocked Haruno heir. "He didn't really say that he saved you, though. He said that you should be more grateful for what he's done for you. That raised huge suspicion among the members."

All men ate their food, but at the same time, watched as the two girls whispered to each other. Even Deidara, who was the closest to them, couldn't get a word of what they were saying. They realized Sakura's eye twitch a few times in irritation as she chewed on her food.

'_Pfft, there's no fucking way Hidan saved me,' _Sakura thought as Inner Sakura rolled on the floor, laughing. _'I bet he was talking about when he stole my first kiss—like I'd __**ever **__be grateful about that.' _She paused amidst her train of thought. _'It's__ still possible…but the chances are low…'_

"We better get going," Zetsu remarked, his yellow eyes glancing at the wall clock, "**School will be starting soon.**"

The youngsters who were going to school trudged out of the house, leaving the cleaning to Kisame and Kakuzu. Sakura simply put on her shoes and started her bike as she waited for her best friend to strap on her shoes. As she was waiting, Kisame opened the door and tossed something to Zetsu, who caught it easily.

Before the blue-haired man could go back inside, Hidan interrupted him. "Wait, did you fucking teach that pink bitch any of your shitty moves?"

The humanoid shark glanced over to Sakura. "Yes, every Monday. Why?"

Hidan grinned sheepishly and turned his attention to tying his shoes, "Oh, no wonder she could punch harder than me."

Sakura released a heavy sigh of irritation as Konan joined her on her bike. After strapping her helmet on, the two girls rode the black motorcycle to their school and parked it near the bicycles. When she made sure the bike was safe and secure, they had a chat until the bell rang. There, the two girls parted ways.

As expected, the hottest gossip was the fact that Sakura had joined the team against the seniors the day before. The part where she injured Sasori and got a goal for the team wasn't left out, either. The green-eyed girl daydreamed for the most part until recess arrived.

She rushed out of her classroom and raced to the fourth floor where Konan's class was supposed to be. She was found by Deidara. "Hey there, Pinky!" He grinned, "Looking for Konan?"

When she nodded, the blonde shook his head, his grin disappearing, "Unfortunately, she was called by the headmistress in the middle of Math class. She didn't come back until now. Maybe she's at the canteen."

"Okay, thanks, Deidara." Sakura replied tersely and ran to the cafeteria. As she lined up to buy food, she was disappointed to see that her blue-haired friend was nowhere to be seen.

She stomped to the back of the school, feeling glum.

To her surprise, the person who had already occupied her spot was Gaara.

"Gaara, what are you doing here?" She asked, both eyebrows raised. She looked around to see if anybody else was with him, but it seemed as if it was only the two of them.

The red-head seemed surprised to see her there, too. "Uh, I-I was going to e-eat here," He stammered, still a bit shocked. He recovered a few seconds later and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Is this your first time eating here?" Sakura asked, sitting down and leaning against the wall. When Gaara nodded, she said, "Well, I always eat here. But if you want to, we could share this place. I don't mind."

The teal-eyed boy didn't reply. Instead, he opened his tupperware and sat next to the pink-haired girl. Sakura wasn't that hungry, she was still full from her breakfast this morning. After finishing her small meal, she watched Gaara eat.

"Don't you have any friends?" she asked. As far as she was concerned, he didn't really seem to have any.

"Besides my siblings, Temari and Kankuro, there's nobody else," He replied, his voice cold yet depressed. "I'm not really _that _left out, though…Naruto introduced me to all the guys in class. I don't have any best friends is all. Everyone else doesn't seem to get along with me _that _well."

"Why not?" Sakura asked, pouting a bit, "You seem like a really nice guy. We barely know each other and yet here we are talking like good friends. Maybe it's because you wait for others to approach you, instead of _you _approaching _them_. You should change your approach, since it's _you _who needs friends, right?"

Gaara seemed a bit stunned by her words, so he just gazed into her eyes for a few minutes, watching her grin brightly.

After a few moments Sakura inquired, "We're friends, right?" Gaara nodded briefly, and she grinned again, "See what I mean? I was the first to approach you, right? It's easy to make friends, actually. You're a naturally friendly person, stop that cool attitude girls gossip about; don't imitate Sasuke."

He smiled for a while saying, "Thank you, Sakura." He stared back at his food in the tupperware. "Um, would you like some of my food? I made it myself." He offered a bit of his sandwich to her.

"Thanks!" she accepted immediately. Gaara took out his sandwich and held it in front of Sakura's mouth. She took a rather big bite of it and chewed. "This is delicious!" she said with her mouthful, making the red-head smile.

"Um, stay still for a while please," He said, and the pinkette paused. He reached his hand out and used his thumb to wipe away some mayo sauce from her lips. "You got a little something on your face."

Strangely, Sakura didn't reply. She opened her mouth slightly but not one word came out. Her fingers landed on the part of her lips where Gaara had touched. Although it was very faint, his emerald-eyes could see her blush.

"Thanks, Gaara," She muttered, unsure of what to say. Then, their awkward-romantic moment was interrupted when a girl's voice was shouting Sakura's name. The two turned around to see Konan, panting from running.

"Sakura, there you are! I've been looking all over for you!" The amber-eyed girl sputtered managing finally to catch her breath. When she did, she saw Gaara. She fell silent for a while and blinked, "Er…am I interrupting something?"

"Huh?" Sakura turned to look at Gaara, who blushed and looked away. Immediately, the pinkette got up and stammered, "Oh n-no, you're okay! I was just talking to a friend." She inhaled deeply, "What is it, Konan?"

"Well, you won't _believe _what just happened!" She exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear and grabbed Sakura's wrist. "You are going to _love _this, Sakura! Trust me, you will." The two made way from the cafeteria, into the hallways, heading towards the school's main entrance.

"What's going on?" Sakura inquired, confused as to why her best friend seemed so excited. "Did Tsunade kick you out of the school or something?"

"No, even _better!" _She replied, and then blinked. "Wait a minute, why would she expel me? I'm the top female prefect, after all. Anyway, I was called to Tsunade-sama's office because it seems that the school has run out of some supplies. The principal wants _me _to go to the city's mall to go buy those supplies! She even said I could bring a friend along!"

"I didn't even know that was possible," Sakura reveled, trying very hard to prevent the grin from showing on her face. They approached the emerald-eyed girl's motorcycle, "But won't this be considered as truancy? You know, skipping school or class."

"Tsunade-sama has given us permission," Konan assured as Sakura started the sleek bike's engine. "And boy, she sucks when it comes to money! I counted everything up, and we could buy _all _the supplies needed _and _buy some lunch and clothes. We have until 5 to bring the supplies back to school."

The two girls rode out of school, onto the road. As they stopped at a traffic light, Sakura remarked, "So we could have all the time, huh? It's only 10, after all. 7 hours to bring back some stupid supplies and giving us extra cash—she's crazy! Oh, won't that old sot ask where the extra balance is?"

"She won't, trust me," Konan winked, although she knew that her best friend couldn't see it from under her black helmet. "You know the mall which you went to with Kakuzu last week? Go there, because all of the needed items are there."

The girls arrived, parking the bike in the same place where she parked it a week ago. The pair crossed the boulevard and into the mall. After hours of shopping for supplies and some clothes they saw on sale, they exited the mall, walking on the boulevard again.

"What time is it?" Sakura asked. Konan glanced at her watch.

"About 3 o'clock," she replied, "School ended an hour ago. We have until 5 to bring these back to school."

Then, the azure-haired girl stopped abruptly, startling the tomboy. She bumped into her best friend, causing Konan to nearly fall. "Whoa, Konan, what is it?" Sakura said, stumbling.

"Kakuzu said you were more suitable to find a job in the modelling world, right?" Konan asked. The pink-haired girl frowned. She nodded and the senior continued, "Well, models have to be tall and at least eighteen. But since you really need some cash, why don't we go to that shop?"

Both pairs of eyes landed toward a shop selling all kinds of clothes. Before Sakura could deny, Konan rushed toward the outlet giving the pinkette no choice but to follow. They entered the shop. Sakura taking a seat with the plastic bags in her hands while the amber-eyed girl walked up to the counter.

"Hello, can I speak to your manager?" Konan asked suddenly, catching the cashier off guard. Sakura sighed and shook her head as the cashier nodded briefly, walking off. Moments later, a well-dressed man came out.

"Yes, may I help you?" he asked, approaching the orange-eyed girl. Konan nodded, beginning to speak. He glanced over at Sakura a few times causing the green-eyed girl to be frustrated she couldn't hear a thing Konan was saying.

The man approached Sakura and she sat up straight, wondering what was going to happen. He examined her from head to toe, then shook his head apologetically, turning to the senior. "I'm sorry, but she doesn't seem fit."

"You don't see it?" Konan sighed, rubbing her temples. After a few moments, she ordered, "Sakura, stand up and take off your grey jacket. Then push your bangs aside, look at the manager, and smile."

Sakura complied, and when she smiled, the manager seemed a bit stunned. He then nodded his head slowly. "Well, I'm sorry for what happened earlier…she seemed too tomboyish to be a good model," He turned around and headed towards the back door, "Follow me."

Konan smiled in satisfaction, grabbing Sakura's wrist. A shop assistant carried their plastic bags as the manager led them to a room. It seemed as if it was a place for a photo shoot. People were crowding a girl, putting on her make-up, fixing hair. A set with nothing but a white background was to their left.

Beautiful clothes were hung near the make-up table, and a handsome photographer was scolding one of his workers. "Attention, please!" The manager said, somewhat frustrated. The whole room went silent and all eyes landed on him. "Why is this room so noisy? I said, be quiet."

"Now, we have a new model," he announced, pulling Sakura away from Konan. The girl who was receiving so much attention rolled her eyes as the manager continued, "I know that this will be our best model yet. Get her ready for a new collection of hats and glasses that just arrived!"

In a flash, make-up artists were crowding around, putting all kinds of hats on her head. Konan just watched, giggling as Sakura struggled to break free from the powder that was making her sneeze.

In about 10 minutes, Konan gaped when she saw her best friend. No more was the reckless, messy tomboy that stood before her. Instead, it was beautiful girl wearing an elegant, sleeveless, whitish-pink gown that reached her knees and a pair of pale pink pumps.

Her lips were covered with red lipstick, her long eyelashes added to the beauty of her pale-green eyes. In other words, it was an expertly done job. Her hair was decorated with a beautiful, light pink hat suitable for an evening stroll.

However, Sakura wasn't pleased. "I look like a pink blob!" She shrieked, but a few men pushed her onto the set. The photographer told her to pose, but she wouldn't do anything.

"You look beautiful, Sakura!" Konan encouraged as she went to the photographer's side. "The clothes' colour are even more pale than you hair colour, so you _don't _look like a pink freak! You're gorgeous! Now, pose!"

Sakura grinned, and the photographer blushed slightly before getting to work. The pinkette, although with tomboyish habits, seemed like a natural when it came to posing. She was elegant in every picture, even the photographer himself was baffled.

It also seemed that everything Sakura wore was pink in colour; from whitish-pink hats of different designs to dark pink caps. From blackish-pink flat hats, and brownish-pink sunglasses to pink-framed spectacles. After 20 minutes of modelling, there was a break.

However, Sakura was getting tired of this though, worried that Tsunade would call them any minute. Although she told Konan that they should leave, the senior disagreed. Desperate for some space, Sakura waited for the perfect time to escape during that five-minute break. When no one was looking, she rushed out of the room and out of the shop.

"That was a close one!" She breathed out, and noticed that a few boys were whistling at her. She remembered that she was wearing the same outfit, only that she had the pinkish-white evening hat on with the brownish-pink aviator sunglasses.

"Well, at least nobody can recognize me," She whispered to herself, and turned to walk toward a café. Then, she heard a few other older men whistle at her. Irritated, she restrained herself from punching them by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

In that brief moment, she bumped into someone, falling over as a result. "I'm so sorry, pretty lady!" a familiar voice apologized, helping her up, "Are you okay? I didn't mean to! I'll pay for your clothes if you want!"

Sakura was about to say it was okay until she saw _whom_it was that she met by chance. She was a bit stunned for a while, and then said, "I-I'm fine, it's okay."

Naruto exhaled in relief, "Thank goodness! I thought I really _did_have to pay for your expensive gown!" Just when Sakura thought she could make an escape, a dark-haired boy approached the blonde.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked, then he saw the beauty in front of his best friend. He gaped for a while, blushing. He coughed and looked away, "Er, Sai, Neji and the others are waiting for you, so hurry."

Sakura giggled a bit as the raven-haired boy walked away. A few meters away, she could see a group of boys looking at her and Naruto. All of those boys were her classmates.

"I'm sorry, again," Naruto repeated, a small blush on his face. "I have to go with my friends…so, if you don't mind I'll go ahead."

"It was my fault, anyway," Sakura replied, and the sapphire-eyed boy turned to walk toward his friends. But instead of walking away, Naruto paused, blinked, and looked at her.

He mumbled something to himself that suspiciously sounded like, 'That voice…'

He examined her from head to toe, blinked twice, and let his jaw drop. "Sakura-chan?!" he exclaimed, startling the pinkette. She took a step back, and Naruto couldn't prevent the shock from showing on his face, "It really _is _you! You look so different! You look like a girl! You're so beauti—" He caught himself at that moment.

"Well, it's not like I _want _to wear this!" she hissed, grabbing the azure-eyed boy's hand and pulling him into the café, where his friends can't see them. "Don't tell any of the boys it's me! I'll be humiliated!"

"Of course, Sakura-chan!" Naruto nodded his head. That small blush on his face was easily detected by Sakura as he smiled nervously, "Er, w-would you like to go on a…a…a d-date with me? Tomorrow? Next week?"

"No." She replied bluntly. Naruto's jaw dropped.

"How about in a million years?" Sakura rolled her eyes, while an anime arrow struck Naruto on the head. He held her hands and looked at her with his puppy eyes. The Haruno heir scoffed, "You really think I'd fall for that?"

"I know it's sudden, but you're really pretty, even before you turned into a half-boy," Naruto admitted, and Sakura barely managed to restrain herself from pummelling him into the ground. The blonde continued, "So, I've liked you for a long time, although I've never admitted it. Even when everyone said that you were a worthless bitch."

"You get one chance," Sakura said after a long pause, slightly touched by Naruto's words. He grinned and she continued, "You decide where. It'll happen _next _Wednesday night, understood? And don't tell anyone about our little encounter or you're a dead man."

Naruto nodded and happily ran out of the café to join his friends. Sakura continued to look on as Inner Sakura spoke. **Boy, even when we were so bitchy back then, he liked us! **The inner-self exclaimed, sounding very surprised, **I know he wasn't lying, either! That's the main reason you accepted his date, right?**

'_If he hadn't said that, I _wouldn't_ have accepted.' _Sakura mentally rolled her eyes, ignoring the handsome college guys whistling and ogling at her.

Before she could buy some food, Konan caught her.

…

_.._

_._

_Cause all_

_I need_

_Is a beauty and a beat_

_Who can make my life complete_

_._

_.._

…

"Okay, babysitting time!" Sakura said, and Konan giggled.

A vein popped on Pein's forehead. "Shut up, insolent girl."

"I don't have a clue why, but there's a prefect and teacher meeting at school today," Konan said, securing the paper flower in her hair. As she approached the door, she said, "I'll be back tonight. Pein, I'll kill you if you behave badly towards your babysitter."

"Not if I kill him first!" Sakura replied, the blue-haired girl snickered. With that, she closed the door and walked to the school.

In the house, the two were the only ones there. Every other Akatsuki member had their own business elsewhere. Pein and Sakura fell silent for a long time, taking the time to stare at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Okay, this is getting awkward," Sakura said, getting off the sofa and stretching. She walked up to the auburn-haired man and put her hand on his forehead, "Okay, now tell me what has kept you sick for over two weeks."

"Severe headaches, extreme fatigue and symptoms of a cold," Pein informed, swatting Sakura's hand away from his head, "But the headaches and tiredness are curing. Only the cold isn't going away."

"My mom was a doctor," Sakura said, her eye twitching when the pierced man swatted her hand away. She backed away from the ringed-eyed man, entering the kitchen, "I'm going to make something and I'll force you to eat it. It'll help you cure faster."

"Don't you mean by my medicine?" Pein asked as if he was bored. A loud 'NO' came from the kitchen. As he waited he could hear the sounds of someone cooking. 30 minutes later, Sakura came back with a bowl of salad.

"Is that all?" The leader raised his eyebrows; his facial expression was obviously saying the whole situation was pathetic. The pinkette rolled her eyes stuffing some salad into Pein's mouth when he wasn't looking. He nearly choked, but recovered quickly.

"I checked your medicine," Sakura said, snickering at the hilarious and rare sight of Pein recovering from a shock. She ignored his glare and continued, "Your medicine's quality was very low, especially the one you took for your cold. That's probably the reason why you're still stuck with that fever."

Pein nodded slowly. "You learned all this from your mother?"

Sakura nodded in reply. "Here, eat this," she ordered, handing the bowl to the auburn-haired man. "It _will_ help, trust me. After this, we're going for a jog in the park. If you think you're supposed to rest, you're wrong. Keep healthy, got it?"

He frowned when his ringed-orbs spotted the salad. "I'm not in the mood," He refused, and noticed Sakura's eye twitch. Immediately an idea came to his mind, and he mentally smirked. "Although you were insolent the first time," He started, laying back and pushing the bowl away from him, "I want you to feed me."

"…" It seemed like Sakura's eye couldn't stop twitching as she tried not to scream at the Akatsuki's leader. She inhaled deeply and replied, "No. Fucking. Way."

"I'm sick," Pein reminded, letting the smirk play on his face, "I'll tell Konan you weren't taking care of me properly, _Angel."_

"Okay then, you _baby," _Sakura hissed, plopping next to Pein on the sofa. She plunged the fork into the bowl feeding him the same way she did the first time. "I'll make you choke! Again and again, you spoilt brat!"

Pein wrestled with Sakura, trying hard to keep the fork away from his mouth. Although she was a girl, this wasn't an easy task. '_Kisame's training has done her a good deal,' _He mentally frowned as Sakura bit his palm, _'She's even smart enough to use dirty tactics.'_

The emerald-eyed girl was still biting hard on the orange-haired man's hand. It was starting to hurt, so Pein smirked, "What if I told you I used the toilet and didn't wash my hands?"

Sakura's eyes widened a bit and she immediately let go, spitting on the carpet and wiping her mouth. "Ew! Oh god, that's just gross!"

"I was just kidding," He admitted, snickering as he ran out the door. Sakura chased after him, shouting curses loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear. What enraged her even more was when he managed to steal her bike.

"Get your ass back here, bastard!" Sakura shouted as Pein drove away with her black bike at top speed. He didn't comply, and the pinkette chased after him, but she lost him at a junction. "Dammit! Fuck you, asshole!"

She had no intention of calling Konan and reporting this issue to her. "I'll beat the shit out of him when I find him!" She hissed, cracking her knuckles. She walked along the sidewalk as the cars passed by her, reminding her of the devastating car accident.

**I noticed Pein was a bit playful, **Inner Sakura said, stroking her nonexistent beard, **I don't think it's normal for him****… When**** he lied about not washing his hands, I swore I saw him smile. Not smirk.**

Sakura sighed. _'He's lost his mind. I guess the sickness finally got the better of him.'_

She continued wandering around aimlessly, in hope of bumping into the auburn-haired man. By the time she was exhausted, it was already 4 in the evening. She left the house around 10.

"6 hours would be 30 minutes if I was shopping," Sakura muttered, shoving her hands in her pockets, "I'm too tired to go anywhere. Maybe I should take a taxi home…Konan may already be back from the meeting."

Then, she stopped and blinked. She snapped her fingers, gasping out, "Oh gosh, why am I so dumb?!" With that, she turned on her heel and ran as fast as she could toward the place in which had just came in mind.

It took an hour for her to reach the destination. The word exhausted was an understatement for she was thirsty and panting. She approached the park, which she had mentioned to Pein earlier, and looked around to see if her bike was parked anywhere nearby. She was elated to see her sleek motorcycle rested against a tree.

However, Pein was nowhere near it. "He must've gone for a jog…" She concluded, cracking her knuckles loud enough for a passer-by to freeze. "That stupid man…he thinks my advice is for free?"

She followed the path, jogging although she was very tired. She made it deeper into the large, public park, complete with a playground and spaces for picnics and football. Eventually, after 20 minutes of running around, a man with catchy orange hair caught her eyes.

"Well well, if it isn't Pein," Sakura smirked, pushing her legs to run faster towards the man about 10 meters away from her. She silently followed him, keeping her distance so she wouldn't be noticed. The Akatsuki's leader jogged to the part of the path that was rather quiet. Seeing her opportunity, she jumped on him.

He was startled, tumbling forward as Sakura threw all of her weight on him. She locked him down, smirking, "Hah, I got you, you asshole! You aren't gonna escape from me ever a—"

Suddenly, her eyesight went blurry, mind falling into a black abyss.

…

_.._

_._

_So follow me down _

_(Where to?)_

_I'l show you around_

_(With you?)_

_Girl you're moving way too slow_

_._

_.._

…

"Ow…what the heck happened?" Sakura heard herself moan as she rubbed the side of her head. She got into a sitting position and studied her surroundings. She was on a bed in an unfamiliar bedroom.

"You were exhausted," Pein said, startling the pinkette who did not realize he was in the room. "Who wouldn't be tired after running around the city aimlessly for 6 hours? Your stamina is amazing. I'll give you that. You passed out when you caught me in the park."

"Am I in your room?" She inquired and the auburn-haired man nodded in reply. Sakura sighed, "This must mean Konan hasn't come back from the meeting, yet."

"The other members are here but they don't know you're still with me," The pierced man informed, getting a stool and sitting next to the bed. The Haruno heir's beautiful pale green eyes stared at Pein for a while until he said, "Look, it was my fault that you fell unconscious, anyway."

"Those aren't the words I'm looking for," Sakura said. Her facial expression was completely blank.

Pein sighed and massaged his temples. After a long silence, he exhaled muttering a reluctant, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, that's it," Sakura smiled heartily, "I had to take care of you. You stole my bike and went off to the park, sending me _walking_ around the whole of Konoha for 6 hours without even having a care in the world for me. Damn right it's your fault!" She hissed, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"You've impressed me," Pein admitted, swatting her hand away so his smirk was visible to her, "Brave, bold, smart, great stamina and agility, strength—you've got the makings of a true leader, to be honest."

"I won't forgive you that easily." She retorted.

"Would you mind if I call you 'Angel'?" Pein asked, Sakura pretended not to hear it. She stayed silent as Inner Sakura ran circles in her head.

**Didn't Konan tell us that Pein only uses the nickname 'Angel' on her? **The alter-ego said, several question marks popping out of her head, **Isn't Angel supposed to be used in a romantic way? If we've gained his respect, he wouldn't really call us…**

Inner Sakura stayed silent for a while before she gasped. At the same time, Sakura was trying hard to deny the fact that he might've called her that way because of…

"I heard that you and Konan went to the city mall last Friday to buy school supplies," Pein said, changing the topic. Sakura nodded hesitantly and he continued, "Word goes around fast in our school. A girl named Karin saw Konan and a model walking into a shop."

The green-eyed girl released an exasperated sigh; Pein smirked. "I knew it was you, you're lucky that gossiping machine didn't recognize you, if not, your reputation as a tomboy would've been ruined."

"Did Kakuzu tell you about his opinion of a job for me?" Sakura asked, massaging her temples as she was still irritated about the news. Pein shook his head and she added, "He said that I would make a great model for hats and sunglasses. But he said I wouldn't do great modeling for clothes. Apparently I told Konan on Friday morning about this and she made me a model just like that."

"Konan has her own ways," Pein chuckled, looking out the window, "She's a unique and creative girl. I don't know how, but she always seems to accidentally get things to go her way. Luck is always on her side." His ringed eyes looked at the pinkette, "Stay with her and you'll be the same, too."

Sakura grinned.

"I should also tell you that Kakuzu is lying," The leader informed, and in an instant her grin vanished. "If he really didn't like you, he wouldn't give you his opinion in the first place. And judging from what he told you, if he didn't think your body shape wasn't interesting, he wouldn't have told you at all."

"I suspected that Deidara and Kisame have a crush on me, but…" Sakura mumbled as the auburn-haired man smirked. The pale-green eyed girl was lost in thought as she considered Pein's words again.

"Boys are experts at keeping secrets, unlike you girls. A bunch of worthless gossiping machines," Pein broke the silence and the pinkette turned her attention towards him, "And I just happen to know who saved you that day…"

"Don't lie, you son of a bitch," Sakura warned, her voice low as the bluish-grey eyed man smirked. He intimidatedated her as he continued his sentence, "But unfortunately, I'll never tell you who. He was actually wise enough to confess that he—"

Sakura jumped on him. He was on the floor as she stood atop of him, "Tell me!" She demanded, but he wouldn't comply. She shook her head and released an annoyed and tired sigh. "Fuck that. You were probably lying, anyway."

She got off of him and headed toward the door.

"Leaving so soon, Angel?" Pein asked, hugging Sakura from behind. She gasped as he lowered his mouth to her ear, "I don't like to be called a _liar. _But even Angel's have bad habits, don't they?"

"Let go of me, idiot!" The Haruno heir hissed, stomping on his foot. But that didn't work. With all her might, she dug her right elbow into his stomach, sending him backwards. As Pein stumbled, she reached for the door with a blush on her face, "I'll be taking your jacket here, _Leader-sama. _Goodbye."

With that, she put on the black jacket and slammed the door shut.

Pein just sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. He heard Konan gasping and talking to the pinkette outside. He was silent for a rather long time as he kept on thinking about the incident that has happened earlier.

Why was he in a playful mood? Why did he call her 'Angel'? Why did he harrass her?

Before he could even search for answers, he noticed that for over 30 minutes, he was in an air-conditioned room without sneezing or coughing at all. He got up and reached for a thermometer and stuck it into his mouth. He checked his temperature and allowed a smile to play across his handsome face.

He was cured.

Just like that, too. It seemed impossible for it to happen so fast, but…

"…She truly is an Angel…"

…

_.._

_._

_So follow me down_

_(Which way?)_

_I'll show you around_

_(Okay)_

_There's a place we gotta go_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: Hello! Sorry it took me so long but I'm going to start having exam's every month! T^T I have a few questions for you guys, too.**

**Q1: Who is your favorite Akatsuki member and why?**

**Q2: What do you like about Sakura?**

**Q3: Should I reveal my true age? **

**Q4: Would you like a poll so you could vote for Sakura's hero? (This poll will decide who Sakura's saviour is. [That's if I ever make one.])**


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: **Skirts & Shoes, Pants & Punches

**Fandom: **Naruto

**Type: **Multi-chapter story

**Rated: **PG13

**Word Count: **6, 047

**Summary: **She wentfrom a girly girl known for her bossiness, to a hardcore tomboy known for her parents' astonishing death. Sakura Haruno realized how _stupid _she had been all this time. Being somebody she's not _just _to win a guy's heart? Some inspiration turned her into her true self—a tomboy. Not only did this transformation attract the Akatsuki, it attracted her crush and nearly _all_ the boys in school. But a _hardcore _tomboy such as her is hard to enthrall.

From girly girl to tomboy, she has been through the worst. Getting an invitation to join the Akatsuki, she realized she's just caught the attention of more men than she can count. Unfortunately, tomboys don't fall in love. AkaSaku with MultiSaku.

**A/N: **I'm younger than the youngest (human) female character in my favourite game, which is Tekken. Her name is Lili and she's 17 years of age. Sorry, for the long update. I hope that this chapter is worth the wait! And no, I won't be making a poll. Everyone loves surprises, right?

…

_.._

_._

_Would you do anything for me?_

_Buy a big diamond ring for me?_

_Would you get down on your knees for me?_

_Pop that pretty question right now, baby_

_._

_.._

…

Feeling tired, Sakura reduced her jogging to walking. She put a hand on her hip and placed her other hand to lean against the bark of a tree. Biting her bottom lip slightly, she continued to push herself on her journey through the park.

Then, she came across a small lake. Concluding that it was time to take a break, she sat on a bench that was a meter away from the water and watched the ducks swim. The wind whistled softly into her ear, helping her relax.

"I wonder what's Konan doing right now…" Sakura thought aloud, staring at the cloudy sky. She pictured her best friend ignoring a few boys trying to flirt with her and giggled. "She's probably kicking some troublemaker's ass. And I'm sure she's wondering why I skipped school today."

'**Yeah, we both know that you're too embarrassed to confront Pein,'** Inner Sakura jeered, a smirk playing across her face. **'After what he did to you yesterday, I'm pretty sure that you—"**

'_Oh, shut up, Inner,' _Sakura rolled her eyes, _'I'm sure that __**you **__enjoyed it. __You can't even__feel what happened anyway, unlike me!__ You're just watching and making dirty comments.'_

When her alter ego tried to speak back, the pink-haired girl shut her off. Yes, she _was _slightly embarrassed to see Pein now that she heard the news he was better and could attend school again. She had some close calls with Akatsuki members before (especially Sasori and Hidan), and she _definitely _wanted to stay safe for a while.

Sakura left her phone at home on purpose, not wanting to pick up any calls from her classmates; this included the Akatsuki members or her best friend. The Pinkette felt like she really needed the day off—it was a Monday evening, and she had a date on Wednesday night.

'_When I think of the date, __I wonder if__ Naruto was looking for me at school today?' _Sakura mused, as the thought of Naruto suddenly came to her mind, _'Poor __guy, I__ didn't even give him my number. I guess he'll just have to wait until tomorrow__,__ then.'_

She continued daydreaming, maintaining a conversation with her inner-self to pass the time. It was nearly 7 o'clock when someone approached her. She was unaware of the boy's presence and didn't pay attention to him until he cleared his throat.

She looked up, studying him with her beautiful, pale-green eyes. It was Sai—the weird guy from her class who sat next to Sasuke. Sakura overheard Ino saying that he was cute but hardly seemed to have any emotions.

They stared at each other for a few seconds. The tomboy narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?"

"Now then, don't be so rough on me," He gave her a fake smile, casually sitting next to her on the bench. Sakura scooted away from him as he continued, "I heard that you have something important to do on Wednesday night."

The emerald-eyed girl froze. Her eyes widened a bit before she hissed at the dark-haired boy next to her, "Did that little bastard tell you guys anything?" _'I told him not to…that idiot…'_

After some silence, Sai said, "Oh, so _you're _Naruto's date. That dickless child has been acting strangely today. He boasted to Sasuke that he was going out with the prettiest girl anyone had ever seen, and that Sasuke will never date a girl like her. I expected her to be drop-dead gorgeous, but I can't _believe_ he was talking about _you." _

Sakura's eye twitched. She restrained herself from pummeling the little bitch into the ground.

Then, Sai shot her another one of his freaky, fake smiles. "But, Naruto has the weirdest taste in girls, so it's not surprising to know he's had a crush on you since 6th grade."

The green-eyed girl looked away, hoping that the ravenette couldn't see her blush. Her thoughts of kicking Sai's ass completely vanished from her mind when she found out that Naruto had liked her for quite some time. Although she acted like a male, she was _still_ a girl. She thought that it was somewhat sweet for a boy to be that loyal to a girl for that long.

"I'm sure you haven't contacted Naruto yet," Sai said, getting a nod as a reply. He took out his phone from his pocket and searched his contacts. Then, he clicked on a name and gave it to Sakura, "This is his number—you better call him."

"I don't know you very well," Sakura stammered, taking the phone hesitantly from his hand, "I think this is very unusual for someone like you. You don't seem like the person that would do these kinds of things for…urm…people."

"I know, I think it's weird, too," Sai conceded, watching the pinkette copy Naruto's number onto her phone, "But…I think that doing things like these can prove I can be a good friend and have a great bond with Naruto. You will like that dickless boy—he's…interesting."

Sakura gave him a genuine smile and gave Sai his phone back, "Thank you, Sai. I copied you number down, too. Maybe…we could be friends. The hottest gossip about _you _is that you hardly have any emotions. I think otherwise."

The dark-haired boy shoved his phone back into his pocket as the pale-green eyed girl continued, "If I _ever _befriend the two girls, I'll introduce you to them. One of them thinks you're unique and…err…_hot_." _'I can't believe I just said that.'_

Inner Sakura stroked her nonexistent beard and studied Sai. **Hm…but it's true…**

Before Sakura could argue with her inner-self, Sai snickered, "For once, you're not acting so tomboyish."

"I'm still a girl, idiot," Sakura reminded, giggling a bit. She got off the bench. As she walked away, she shouted, "I'll be calling Naruto later! Thanks a lot!" Without facing him, she waved goodbye.

Sai watched her leave. What was it about her smile that stunned him so much? Why did the way she laughed make him feel so weird? Why does she look so cute whenever she's looking for the right words?

Boys at school have been talking about Sakura, a lot of them have claimed that she was even more mysterious and interesting than the other girls. It's hard to see her emotions through her eyes or facial expression, and some even admitted that they have fallen for her.

"Is this the mystery that they speak of?" Sai asked himself, "The fact that she fascinates people so easily and affects those around her, it's so…puzzling." It was a pity that he only noticed her beauty just now. Naruto was actually more mature than most guys, for he was the first to realize Sakura's beauty and potential.

Sai knew that he was probably falling for her right then, but he would (obviously) _never_ admit to something likethat_. _Then, when he noticed that Sakura was still in sight, he called out, with another fake smile playing on his face, "Call me later, Ugly!"

And this part of the story ends with Sai thrown into the water, joining the ducks.

…

_.._

_._

_Beauty queen on a silver screen_

_Live a life like I'm in a dream_

_I know I've got a big ego_

_I really don't know why it's such a big deal, though_

_._

_.._

…

Konan sighed as she approached her locker. Tsunade had ordered her to stay after school so that she could patrol the school area for vandals. There were several reports that a few irresponsible students had been spraying graffiti at the back of the school and they had entered by climbing over the fence.

The beauty actually caught the three boys, all of them her age, but in the last class. At first, the boys who saw her thought that she was sneaking around too, all because she wasn't wearing her school uniform. Dressed in her normal clothes, the hooligans attempted to flirt with her.

Konan was really pissed when they started flirting, so she automatically kicked the closest one in the groin. The poor boy, who was in pain, was already groveling the dirt when his friends attempted to flee. However, the amber-eyed girl managed to stop them and called a few nearby prefects to help her.

"Well, that job's done, it's time to go home and relax," Konan smiled to herself as she unlocked her locker. When she opened it, a few letters fell out. Once again, she breathed out an exasperated sigh, bending down to pick them up.

"Love letters," she mumbled, examining them. She was used to these things—she got confessions at least three times a day. She was about to throw them away until she noticed that one of the envelopes was unique—it was black in color instead of white.

She threw the white ones way and proceeded with opening the dark-colored one. She was surprised to find that it wasn't written by hand, instead it was typed out. Konan read it quietly to herself.

'_Darling, you are a fool. You will never be able to find me__;__ unless if I __want__ to be discovered. However, I must thank you __very__ much for taking good care of my dear Sakura__. Does__ she still like me__,__ or has she _

_forgotten me already?_

_I'm sure she still remembers me. I miss gazing into her exotic eyes and I'm tired of watching her from the shadows. The last time I spoke to her in a __private__ conversation was when she was in pain and covered in crimson blood. Strangely, she stole my heart right away. Despite__the bloody situation, she looked like a beautiful, fallen angel._

_Then, I came face-to-face with her again, shortly after I saved her. I'm absolutely amazed she couldn't recognize my voice when I spoke to her then, thus it disappointed me. However, I still care deeply for my Sakura, despite her astonishing change._

_I want to see her—so I want you to do __me__ a favor. __Please dress__ her up nicely and bring her to me. I'll be at the restaurant on Wednesday night__.__I __hope she likes seafood. Au revoir, Konan- I'm counting on you.'_

The senior felt a chill down her spine as her heart started to beat faster. "This letter…" she said, her voice trembling with excitement, "It's the man who saved Sakura!"

Without hesitation, Konan turned on her heel and ran home.

**.**

Sakura quietly entered her parent's room. She walked to the wardrobe and opened it, examining what was inside before she searched for more dresses underneath the piles of clothes. It was her mother's closet and the pinkette remembered that Mebuki was a fashionable woman. Best of which, she had known were the fabulous dresses.

Yes, it was a beautiful Wednesday night, the tomboy was present at school yesterday. Naruto met up with her during recess and they had an awkward discussion concerning their date. They agreed to meet at a fancy restaurant near the city mall.

Sakura found a dress she actually liked. It was a plain, sleeveless, white dress that reached below her knees; it also had a matching pair of white pumps. The pink-haired girl wasn't really good at walking with high-heels, but it seemed like she had no choice.

She searched her mother's jewelry and found a beautiful pair of earrings, which matched a thin, white bracelet. When she sorted everything out and imagined how she might look like, she noted that she would look…well…pretty. However, when she started thinking about makeup, her inner-self facepalmed.

'**Idiot, we're not aiming for first date sex,' **Her alter-ego mumbled. Suddenly, she looked up and pedo-smiled, asking hopefully, **'Are we?'**

Sakura's facial expression changed into that of disgust. _'I'm only 15, you perverted freak!'_

Inner Sakura's face fell. **'Okay, okay, fine. Naruto probably doesn't have a dick anyway—according to Sai that is.'**

Sakura chuckled and took her clothes off. She started putting on the dress, being careful not to tear it by accident before she proceeded with putting on the jewelry. By the time she was done, the emerald-eyed girl stood in front of the mirror, smiling at her own reflection in satisfaction.

Inner Sakura whistled. **'If you had long hair and blue eyes, ****you'd**** look ****exactly ****like your mother!'**

Sakura agreed. She took the pair of white pumps and a white headband from the makeup table before she rushed downstairs. Putting on her high-heels, she adjusted the headband on her head before she opened the door.

She froze when she saw Konan right in front of her.

The blue-haired girl paused as well, holding her knuckle up in the air. "Sakura! Oh, I…err, was _going_to knock until you opened the door!" She giggled nervously and scratched her head. Both of them fell silent for a while.

It was then Konan noticed what Sakura was wearing. "Whoa, who's the lucky guy?" She asked with a surprised expression on her face.

"I have a date," Sakura admitted.

The senior's amber eyes widened. _'S-She knows? H-How did she…how did she find out about the letter?' _

Her question was answered when the pinkette added with a blush on her cheeks, "I have a date with Naruto…I have to go."

Konan quietly released a sigh of relief as Sakura walked past her. She turned around; clamping a hand on her friend's shoulder to stop her, "Wait! Sakura, you can't go on a motorbike with a dress!" Konan said, the pink-haired girl's eyes widened.

"You're right…then how am I going to—"

"It's okay! Let me help you," The amber-eyed girl interrupted, then she pointed to a silver car parked outside the gate. When Sakura shot her a confused look, she explained, "A friend lent it to me for the time being. Where are you going tonight?"

"A place in the city mall," Sakura replied, walking with her friend towards the vehicle. As they entered the car and Konan started the engine, the tomboy raised her eyebrow, "Wait—why did you come to my house, anyway? Did you know I have a date tonight?"

Konan shook her head and smiled at the road as the car started moving out of the neighborhood. "Oh, I want to bring you out for dinner." Although she tried sounding casual, Sakura noticed the excitement in her voice.

"I'll try to finish the date by 9.30, okay?" Sakura suggested, putting a hand on the senior's arm. Konan simply nodded and they arrived at a junction. They chatted about Naruto and Sakura told her about how he has had a crush on her for nearly 3 years, and before long they arrived at the said mall.

The shopping center and streets were lit up with beautiful, colorful lights that added to the beauty of the twinkling stars in the dark sky. Konan parked her vehicle by the road.

Inhaling deeply, Sakura opened the door and stepped out. "Stay here, Konan! I'll be back as soon as possible."

With a giggle, Konan called out, "Break a leg, Sakura! I'm sure that blonde will start drooling at your svelte figure." The blue-haired girl heard her best friend shout a 'thank you' as she skittered across the road.

When Sakura entered the mall, she walked with little confidence, but was still self-conscious of her appearance. However, she noticed that most men were ogling at her and some had the bravery to whistle in a flirtatious way.

'_Dammit, maybe my dress is too slinky,' _Sakura thought as she walked up the stairs. She finally arrived at the restaurant, where a waiter greeted her, asking if she reserved a table. "Err, not really…but I have a date with someone tonight."

"I see, young love, eh?" The waiter winked at her. As a reply, she smiled shyly and nodded. Her reaction to the servant wasn't what she would've _liked_ it to be, but it was automatic, so there was nothing she could do about it, right? "Please follow me, miss—I think I know who your date is."

She followed the handsome man toward a table for two where Naruto was anxiously staring out the window. The blonde heard footsteps and he turned, blushing when he saw his date and smiled foolishly when Sakura giggled.

"Hi," Naruto greeted nervously as he got up from his seat. He pulled out a chair and waited for his date to take a seat before returning to his. The waiter walked away, giving the couple some privacy. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, it's my mother's dress," Sakura nodded, smiling at the compliment.

"To be honest, I thought that you wouldn't come."

"Of course I'd show up," Sakura said, trying hard not to smile so much because her cheeks were starting to hurt. Naruto indeed looked different in smart clothing: he was a wearing a cobalt button-up shirt that was tucked in his black jeans. His hair remained the same. It was not as messy as usual though. "You look great, too."

"You really think so?" Naruto gasped. His cheeks were tinted red as he scratched the back of his head with a small smile on his face, "T-Thanks."

"Anyway, what would you like to eat?" he asked, receiving the menus from the waiter, handing one of them over to Sakura. She accepted and browsed through it, frowning at the expensive prices.

"Sakura-chan, don't worry. I have enough money for an expensive evening," the blue-eyed boy assured, smiling. When his date raised her eyebrows, he scratched his head and admitted, "I've been saving money for quite some time. I have a lot, actually."

"Why?"

Naruto blushed and looked out the window as his lips curved into a shy smile. "It's embarrassing, really."

"**Are you saying that you've been saving money for our date,****yet you never thought that it would****become reality?**" Sakura blurted out, immediately covering her mouth afterwards; Inner Sakura was causing trouble again. Naruto looked at her, surprised, and she sputtered, "I'm sorry, Naruto!"

"Why should you be?" He smiled, "You're right, Sakura-chan. I've been _dreaming_ of going out with you since the sixth grade, and considering the fact that you're really rich, I figured that you like expensive things. That's why I've been saving a lot. Honestly, when I asked you last Friday, I was expecting a rejection."

Sakura returned to the menu, chuckling, "Well, you know what they say—luck favors the brave."

A few minutes later, the couple ordered and started chatting to pass the time. Sakura learned more about Naruto, concluding that he was a fun person as well as a great friend. Suddenly, a question came to her mind. "What do you think of Hinata?" the pinkette asked. "People say that she's a pleasant person."

"Yeah, she's really nice," Naruto agreed before he looked out the window. "My friends told me that she has a crush on me but, even if she did, I just want to be friends, you know? I don't want to have a serious relationship with someone other than…" He glanced at Sakura. "…You."

She could feel her cheeks tint red. Inner Sakura slapped her palm onto her forehead, **'Dammit****girl****! Do**** you really have to blush all the time? It's embarrassing and**_**so **_**not like us!' **Sakura mentally rolled her eyes at her alter-ego and shut her off.

"Y-You're really pretty when you blush," Naruto stuttered, breaking off their gaze to return to gazing out the window. Sakura's blush disappeared and she smiled a few moments later, leaning forward as she pulled her chair closer to the table.

"What do you like about me?" she inquired.

He was caught off guard by her question. Naruto froze, blinked, then stammered, "Err…you're really pretty…smart…and you're really cool too," He glanced up to look at his date and his face flushed when he noticed that she was listening attentively. "I-It's hard to explain, Sakura-chan! And it's embarrassing, too!"

Sakura giggled, but before she could tease him, somebody approached the table. Both of them did not bother taking notice of him as they expected that the man was the waiter and he was delivering drinks to their table. However, no drinks came. Instead, he greeted them.

"Well, well. I never thought you two would make such a great couple," he remarked, stunning the couple. Sakura looked at him with a surprised expression, shocked at his bluntness. Naruto turned to glare at him.

"What are _you _doing here?!" the blonde hissed, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"You don't want to scare off your date. Now do you, idiot?" Sai gave him a fake smile, swatting Naruto's hand away. He took a chair from another table and sat between the two, causing Sakura to scoot away from him. She twitched her eye in irritation.

"How did you find us?" Sakura questioned, riled by his sudden appearance. '_Geez, talk about invading privacy.'_

Sai pulled out his phone. "I tracked you down." he admitted, causing her to gasp.

"_What? _So you were stalking me?!" Her jaw dropped in disbelief.

He nodded, but shrugged slightly. "Well, I wouldn't say _stalking…" _

She pulled out her own phone and searched for Sai's number in her contacts before she deleted it. "Dammit, man! How many other girls do you trail?!"

"You don't have to know, Ugly." He gave her a fake smile again.

"She. Is. _Not. _Ugly." Naruto hissed, clenching his fists.

Sai's fake expression immediately changed; it was replaced with an obnoxious smirk. He glared the blonde down before both of them leaned forward, towards each other. The raven-haired boy whispered, "Get out of the way, Dickless. She will never be interested in someone like _you_."

"Oh, so _now _you like her?" Naruto shook his head and glanced up, to see that Sakura was unaware of their discussion. She had a puzzled look on her face as she watched her two classmates lean towards each other and threaten one another.

"Too little, too late, bastard," The Uzumaki heir hissed, holding up a fist to Sai's chin, "Tell the _other _guys about this, too—she's _mine."_

"_Correction, _Ugly belongs to me," Sai retorted, swatting his friend's fist away.

"How could you expect her to even like_you_ when you keep calling her names?!" Naruto was losing his temper.

Just then, the deadly silence between the three was broken off by the sound of Sakura's cellphone.

"Hello, this is Sakura speaking," she recited as she answered the call.

'_Sakura! Hurry down! Time's up!' _Konan shouted from the other line.

"Al-Already?" Sakura asked in shock, rising from her seat. The two boys looked up at her in wonder as she continued talking, "Okay, okay! I'll be right down!" She ended her call with a frown on her face. She glanced at the clock on the wall to learn that it was already 10 o'clock.

"What's wrong, Ugly?" Sai tried hard to not sound worried.

"It's Konan, she says it's urgent and I have to leave," Sakura conceded. Naruto's face fell. The pinkette's lips curved into an apologetic smile, "I'm so sorry, Naruto. Maybe next time," she apologized.

"B-But…the food didn't even arrive, yet!" he reasoned, causing Sakura to feel a sharp pang of guilt.

"I still had a great time. Um, why don't you eat with Sai?" she suggested. This caused Naruto to only pout and fold his arms. The emerald-eyed girl approached her date and bended down, tucking her hair behind her ear, "Maybe this will make you feel better?"

Naruto was about to ask her about what she meant, but he froze when she kissed his cheek.

He blushed slightly and stared into her eyes with his mouth slightly agape. "I need to go," Sakura said, rushing out of the restaurant. "Thank you, Naruto! See you tomorrow!"

As the two boys watched their crush leave, they were silent long enough for the waiter to approach them the scrumptious food Naruto and Sakura had ordered. The waiter paused, looking at the two boys with a confused look on his face. "Excuse me, where did the young lady go?" The waiter wondered if 'the young lady' suddenly turned into a boy (which is Sai, by the way).

The dark-haired boy took a seat on Sakura's chair, now facing the blonde. "I'm a friend of his. The beauty had to leave quickly because of something urgent."

"Oh, so _now _you're calling her pretty?! And besides, you scaredher away!" Naruto accused, glaring daggers at his friend.

The waiter nervously approached the two boys and set the meal on the table cautiously, as he could feel the tension between them.

…

_.._

_._

_If you think I just got lucky_

_It's not up to me_

_I'm just that sexy_

_._

_.._

…

"Hello, Konan!" Sakura smiled happily, opening the door of the silver car.

"Hi, Sakura," Konan replied, smiling back. "How was the date? Did you have a good time?"

Sakura giggled nervously and scratched her head, "Uh…it wasn't how I expected it to be, but I guess it was okay…" Her sentence faded away when she realized that her best friend wasn't paying attention to her, as she was starting the engine of the vehicle.

When she was confident that the car was ready to go, Konan slammed on the pedal and they sped off at a frightening speed. They raced past other cars on the slightly jammed road, startling drivers and pedestrians. Despite the fact she's driving dangerously, the blue-haired girl drove skilfully and managed to safely get past the obstacles in her path.

Sakura screamed, hastily buckling on her seat belt in the fear of getting involved in a car accident. "K-Konan, slow down!" she stammered with quavers in her voice, as she held on tight to her best friend's arm, "W-We might lose control!"

The two arrived at a junction and the traffic light turned red. Obeying traffic rules, Konan slowed the car down before it eventually stopped, much to the emerald-eyed girl's relief. Sakura released her clasp on her best friend's arm and sat up straight, inhaling deeply to calm herself down. Then, she turned to her best friend, "Geez, what's wrong with you?"

Konan smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, Sakura, I'm just excited. I have a surprise for you, and I'm just worried that we'll miss it if we don't reach there in time." The traffic light turned green and the blue-haired girl drove the car at a normal speed, unlike earlier.

"A surprise? I get surprises everyday," Sakura's eyebrow rose, a smile playing on her face. With a small twinkle in her pale-green eyes, she continued, "What do you have in store for me, anyway? Can you give me a hint?"

Her best friend's lips curved into a mischievious smile as she calmly shook her head. Konan ignored Sakura's questions and eventually, the Rosette concluded that interrogating her would be a waste of time. She sank into her seat. Feeling slightly disappointed and sighing quietly, she folded her arms and closed her eyes. Silence fell upon the two best friends as they headed towards their destination.

It wasn't until a few minutes that one of the Haruno heir's eyes popped open. She muttered, "Hey, where are we going, anyway?"

An abrupt gasp escaped Konan's lips and she automatically slammed the brakes, stopping the car in the middle of the road. As Sakura fell forward, a few startled drivers behind them honked and the blue-eyed girl popped her head out, shouting an apology before she parked by the shoulder of the road. She leaned against her chair, massaging the bridge of her nose, _'Damn, why am I so stupid? He didn't specify where he'll be waiting…'_

Sakura recovered from the unexpected stop and, noticing that her best friend was pondering, decided not to question her about the commotion.

After a few minutes, Konan released grabbed her handbag, putting it on her lap. She groped around inside the bag, looking for the letter she received from the unknown saviour that day, and after some time, she finally found the black envelope. She opened the envelope and took out the letter sealed inside.

She unfolded the piece of paper carefully before reading the passage again. _'He didn't mention where to meet, except that he wants to meet at a restaurant…' _She sighed faintly, disappointed; ignoring the questioning look Sakura was giving her. _'Maybe he inserted a clue…'_

She read the letter repeatedly. Sakura tried to get a peek of the letter as well but Konan was able to prevent her from doing so as she examined and absorbed every word written on the paper. It took some time, but the senior finally found the sentence she was looking for. _'I hope she likes seafood.'_

Without hesitation, she folded the paper quickly and sealed it back in the dark envelope. Soon, the two were back on the road, driving through the wealthy parts of Konoha. _'Seafood! As far as I'm concerned, there are only a few seafood restaurants in Konoha—and there's only __**one **__well-known fancy restaurant that serves seafood near our neighborhood…'_

Konan drove around, looking for the restaurant. The road was jammed with cars and as Konan sighed in exasperation, Sakura admired the buildings and streets for the reason that golden lights adorned the area. The scenery was magnificent, compared to the normal parts of town.

Finally, the girls found a parking spot that was convenient and satisfying for Konan, as it was opposite the restaurant she searched for. Sakura, whom realized the car had stopped, looked around with a confused look on her face, "Um, where are you taking me?"

'_Oh, I hope this is the place,' _Konan prayed in her heart, trying hard to prevent her worried facial expression from showing.

"Well, as you can see, across the road is a fancy restaurant," She explained and Sakura looked over the shoulder of her seat, gaping at the sight of the brilliant restaurant, "I want you to stand outside the restaurant while I put my makeup on, and as you're waiting, read this letter."

She gave the black envelope to her best friend. Sakura hesitatingly accepted the letter and examined it. Then, she giggled, "Yeah, we both know you've got _a lot_ of admirers in school, Konan."

"It's _not_ a love letter!" The amber-eyed girl exclaimed before explaining, "I found it in my locker on Monday afternoon, when I was patrolling the school area for vandals. Its contents are interesting, so I figured that you should read it as well."

The Haruno heir's lips curved downward slightly. After a few minutes of uncertainty, she reluctantly stepped out of the car before skittering across the road and going up the few steps in front of the entrance of the beautiful restaurant. A waiter was standing by the door and he greeted the beauty.

"Good evening to you, too," Sakura replied with a smile before looking over her shoulder. Konan had yet to step out of her car. _'Geez, Konan can't possibly be wearing makeup right now,' _she frowned, _'Besides, she was already wearing makeup when she appeared at my house…' _

The tomboy felt a feeling of uneasiness. It was obvious that _something _was going on, and Konan was hiding it.

After a few minutes, Sakura studied the dark envelope in her hands. There was nothing to read on the envelope, so she proceeded with taking out the paper inside and unfolding it. Surprised to see it wasn't hand-written, her curiosity increased.

As she read the letter, she felt her eyes widen; her hands tremble; her mouth open and close in a pathetic effort to speak. Paralyzed with shock, she was unable to think straight as a thousand questions popped in her mind. Then, she gulped and inhaled deeply to pull herself together.

Sakura looked to her right to glance at the car. As she guessed, Konan was still in her seat.

The Pinkette tried to clear her mind, but as she was in the process of doing so, a deep voice greeted her from behind and she froze. "It's amazing to see that you're actually here, Sakura-chan," he said, an amused chuckle escaping his lips. "Well, I'll just have to admit Konan is indeed a true genius."

Sakura felt weak in the knees and found that it was hard to turn around to face her hero. She could already tell who was behind her just from the voice. To her surprise, although she never realized it before, she heard the same voice of the man whom saved her during the car accident. She sensed him smirk as she took a deep breath.

Sakura turned around with her eyes closed. She felt him walk towards her. The sounds of his footsteps were so sensitive to her ears—it was as if she could hear nothing else, excluding her heartbeat.

He stood in front of her and caressed her cheek, causing her to blush, "You look so pretty, Sakura-chan," he complimented, "But your eyes are much more attractive. Won't you open them?"

Her heart was throbbing. Her saviour's warm touch sent a strange sensation throughout her whole body and his voice was deep and calm, just as it was more than two months ago. Although she found it hard to believe _he_ saved her, she was grateful at the same time, and wanted to fulfill his wishes, considering she didn't have the chance to thank him back then.

Once again, the man touched her, this time by holding her chin. "Come on, Sakura-chan, I miss gazing into those exotic eyes of yours," he pleaded in a seductive tone and she could sense that he was still smirking.

A red blush crept up to her cheeks as she opened her emerald orbs, confirming the identity of the man in front of her. His smirk turned into a winsome smile and, still holding her chin, he kissed her forehead, since the white headband held her bangs back.

The green-eyed girl did not stop him from doing so, because the minute his lips made contact with her skin, she finally managed to murmur his name.

"Madara…"

…

_.._

_._

_I'm just that sexy_

_._

_.._

…

**A/N: **To my beta-reader, **Nonumaru, **I'm sure that you've noticed that I didn't send the last section of this chapter to you. I just wanted to surprise all of my readers! I do hope that there weren't too many errors in the last part, though.

Finally! I hope that all of you will keep looking forward to my chapters, because I know that this revelation may have disappointed some, may have thrilled some, may have shocked some—but whatever you think, please review! :D

Besides, I could use a review since I haven't gotten some in awhile. As I wait, I'll get back to reading Hunter x Hunter manga! (No, this is not my new addiction; I am still addicted to Tekken.)


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